Rise From Darkness
by rainafire
Summary: Post Not Fade Away. LA is rebuilding after the fall of WR&H. Angel & Spike are reluctant partners in a rebuilt Angel Investigations when a new ally appears, one with a surprising connection to Spike. Completed finally! Please Review!
1. Welcome Home

**A/N The first chapter is dedicated in loving memory to Andy Hallett who portrayed the loveable Lorne. **

**I do not own the characters that were born in the mind of Joss Whedon. Only the characters that were born of my own sick vision are truly mine.**

Chapter One-Welcome Home

She stepped off the bus and looked into the bright Los Angeles sunshine. Sighing, she hitched her bag up on her shoulder and turned to help the little girl down as well.

"So, this is Wolfram and Hart." It was a statement, not a question. The building no longer stood. She smiled a wry smile and turned both middle fingers to the ashes.

"Burn in hell fuckers."

"Mommy, what are we doing here?" The little girl reached up and took her mother's hand and they both turned to walk down the busy street.

"We're going to see some old friends, baby." She looked back at the ruins of the law firm.

"From the looks of it, they need us bad"

**A/N: Here is where the opening credits would be so please feel free to insert that montage here. ******

Lorne was not having a great day. It was hard dealing with the returning demons who had fled like little girls after the whole Wolfram and Hart fiasco. There were two types that appeared in the dank, dark, underground bar Lorne was desperately trying to renovate. The first were human compatible. These demons just wanted to get by on earth and not cause a fuss. They were the ones who ran screaming like little girls when the city began to crumble all around them. They were slowly returning to LA. The second bunch was the worst. They heard that the resident Big Bad had packed up and moved out and they were anxious to fill that seat in the demon boardroom. The Circle of the Black Thorn had been wiped out. The Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart had been driven back to hell by Angel and their crew but Lorne knew that their departure from this dimension was only temporary.

Sighing, he fixed himself another Sea Breeze. He didn't even have the heart to get up on his own stage.

_Look at you._ He said, glaring at his reflection in the broken mirror behind the bar. _You are pathetic. Your horns are droopy. You need a haircut and by god where did you find that outfit?_ He closed his eyes, shaking his head at the inhumanity of it all. He needed his muse to help him decorate and the Three Sisters to bless the site but his muse was now in Cleveland and the Three Sisters fled to Bora Bora, never to return to LA.

_Maybe I should have stayed in Jamaica instead of coming back here._

"Lorne? Oh my god, is that you?" He turned to the familiar voice and instantly knew that the sun was back in his life.

"Chandra!! I cannot believe that you're here! It has been too long!" Looking at the little girl clutching her hand, he realized out loud "Much too long!!"

"Lorne, this is Kira. My daughter." Kira grinned up into his bright green face and his heart instantly melted. He got down to her level.

"And how old are you pumpkin dumpling?" he asked.

"I'm seven. Look, I have another loose tooth." She opened her mouth wide to demonstrate that fact.

"Chandra she is just precious beyond words! Who's the lucky daddy?" He saw her mouth tighten. "Oh, sorry. Sore subject?"

"Lorne, is there someplace we could go talk? We have a lot of catching up to do and I desperately need your help."

Lorne glanced behind him.

"Clem! Your turn to tend bar snicker doodle." Clem came out of the back room with a fresh case of O positive….they had been getting a lot of vamp action lately.

"Sure thing boss!" Clem was all too eager to please. He loved his job, liked working for Lorne and was grateful as all get out to have gotten out of Sunnydale alive.

Chandra glanced into the red eyes of the kind hearted demon.

"How are you with kids in the non-eating capacity?"

Clem grinned his crooked smile at her. "For what it's worth, I used to baby-sit for a Slayer's little sister." It had been one time and Dawn had been older but hey, he loved kids…in the non-eating capacity that is.

Chandra nodded at Kira and she jumped over to the bar, smiling at Clem the whole time.

"Hey, Clem is it?" Clem nodded at Chandra. "Just make sure I get her back breathing and in one piece. Understand?"

"Oh totally. No worries." Chandra and Lorne left the room and Clem turned to Kira.

"You like Parcheesi?"

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Lorne and Chandra walked into the storeroom and sat on the small loveseat he had found on trash day in Beverly Hills.

"Totally vintage, isn't it? It will go in the front when this place becomes worthy." He said sourly, finishing the last drop of his Sea Breeze. "Judging from the look in your eyes, I should have gotten a refill." He sighed and set the glass down. "So, what's up buttercup?"

Chandra closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"So, it's been what Lorne, twelve years since I first sang at Caritas and you saw who I was?"

Lorne nodded, remembering. "You were my first one to knock me over with a crowbar. You were the first one up on that stage and the first to sing live for me. I had only been in this dimension for six months and had no idea. Let me tell you sweetheart, reading other people after you has been, quite frankly, anti climatic."

She smiled. "Good to know. I remember you walked up to me and said how pleased you were to finally meet the legendary great-grand-daughter of D'Hoffryn and said I was more the welcome to drink for free as long as I told you the full story. So, I told you how my great grandfather, the master of the vengeance demons, had fallen in love with a human woman and fathered a daughter. That daughter turned her back on her father and choose to live as a human. Her daughter, my mother, also refused a life with the vengeance demons, choosing instead to marry my father. D'Hoffryn had asked me to join him and I told him to give me a chance at a normal life first but that I was not turning him down completely. As a gift for not turning my back on my demon heritage, he granted me use of my demonic powers of telepathy and teleportation. He also gave me an amulet and told me to call on him anytime I was ready to join him. Do you remember that?"

Lorne was nodding furiously. "Yes, yes I remember all that. I take it you still haven't given up on the whole total demon lifestyle yet."

"Actually, that's kind of why I'm here but I'm jumping ahead. In 2001, you know that a Slayer sacrificed herself to save the world from being sucked into a hell dimension by Glorificus?"

"Something about that jogs a faint memory muscle but, go on."

"Well, I was there. I saw it happen." Lorne opened his mouth to question her and she pinched his lips shut. "If you keep interrupting me Lorney Toones, I'll never finish."

"Sorry" was all he could mumble. Chandra dropped her hand.

"I was watching a vampire that seemed oddly enthralled with the Slayer. He was blond, wore a long black leather coat, and kind of resembled…"

"Billy Idol" Lorne finished. "So you fell under the spell of Señor Spike too huh? Humph. Figures."

"Yes, I was fascinated by him. I had traveled through time to observe many events and was surprised to find that a vampire who had bested two slayers, who was sired by Drucilla and ran with Angelus and Darla, was actually helping a Slayer. Was in love with her.

Following that scene, I traveled back to learn everything I could about William the Bloody. I met him as a human in London. He was a grown man looking after his sick mother. He idolized her. From what I learned, she was a sweet woman who clung her little William close to her after the tragic death of his father when William was a baby. He became the man in her life and that made him soft, gentle and completely unappealing to the women of that time.

I learned that he had a crush, an obsession really, with the daughter of an aristocrat, Cecily. He worshipped the ground she walked on. I pitied him as he wrote one horrific poem after another in her honor but dared not let anyone see. He was terrified that she would discover his intentions." She grinned at Lorne and raised her eyebrow at him. "That's where I came into the picture."

Lorne looked at her and shook his head in shock. "You didn't."

"That I did."

"You little jezebel!"

"I know." She smiled at the memory.

Lorne put his hands over his ears. "I think I can live without details, thank you very much."

"Anyway," Chandra continued, ignoring Lorne's interruption. "I posed as an American visiting her sick aunt and bumped into him on the street. A little flirtation, a little smile here, a brief touch of a hand there….it was really fairly easy to seduce him.

"Sparing you the blissful details and getting right back to the facts of the matter, after our tryst, William felt bold enough to declare his love to Cecily. After her rejection, it broke him. He ran heartbroken into the street and bumped into three vampires…."

"And the rest is history." Lorne really needed another drink. "So that means that you are..."

"Inadvertently responsible for William the Bloody becoming who he is today, yes."

"My goodness girlfriend, when you mess with the past, you really mess with the past."

"There's more Lorne. When I came back to the present day, I discovered I was pregnant. Nine months after visiting with William briefly in 1880, I delivered his daughter." Lorne's mouth dropped.

"You mean Kira is…."

"Yes Lorne. Kira is Spike's daughter."


	2. Revelations

**A/N I**** do not own the characters that were born in the mind of Joss Whedon. Only the characters that were born of my own sick vision are truly mine.**

**Please leave reviews. My first fanfic & I'm curious to know what you think.**

Chapter Two-Revelations

"So what brings you to L.A.? Are you trying to find him for some much overdue child support?" Lorne had been pacing since receiving the initial shock.

"No Lorne. I'm here because my daughter and I apparently have new destinies to follow. Six years ago, a very powerful witch named Willow activated all the potential Slayers in the world to form an army for a great battle.

"It affected me and it affected my then one year old daughter. There I was, an undecided heir to demonic royalty and I became a slayer against my will. To add insult to injury, my daughter became a slayer too, as a one year old." She looked at Lorne's pacing figure.

"Do you know what it's like to have a child go through the Terrible Two's with Slayer strength Lorne? Do you want to know how many apartments I lived in that we never got the deposit back?

"D'Hoffryn has taken this all in stride. He stripped me of my power of teleportation, for abuse of privilege he said. I am still telepathic and I think that D'Hoffryn is still hoping I will join him and bring Kira along. Two demons with slayer strength. Imagine the destruction that could occur! But he's been patient. I think he has a weakness for his girls. After wandering the globe with Kira, we found a former watcher named Giles. He introduced us to another slayer, Faith, and she began our training. They had never seen a slayer as young as Kira and were fascinated at her potential. It was while training with Faith that she told me about Angel, his son, his soul, what he does here in LA and how he befriended a certain green buddy of mine." She grinned up at Lorne.

"She also told me that Spike had fought to earn his soul back and now fought the good fight with Angel. That's when I knew that I needed to come home and straighten a few things out. I know that Wolfram and Hart are out of commission at the moment. I also know that Angel and Spike are still alive. I need your help in finding one of them." Chandra grabbed his hand, stopping his pacing and forcing him to turn his sad, green face to hers.

"Lorne, I know that it is terrible of me to come flying in here after all this time and beg for a favor but that is what I am doing. Can you please tell me where I can find Angel and Spike?"

Two hours and forty phone calls later, Chandra hugged Lorne and left with Kira. Lorne had declined to return to Angel with her, saying he was done. His last act, he said, was giving her the address for the new offices of Angel Investigations in Anaheim. Lorne told her to not stay gone as long as before but Chandra saw the look in his eyes that begged her to stay away, he did not want to be involved.

Chandra called a taxi and loaded Kira and herself in, giving the driver the address in Anaheim. Thankfully, the driver read and understood English but spoke very little. Chandra was in no mood for a talkative cabbie at the moment. Her heart was pounding and her stomach tightened. Kira noticed her nervousness and wrapped her arms around her mother and kissed her cheek.

"I love you mommy."

"Baby, I love you too. I really hope we're doing the right thing here."

"Mama, Faith told us we needed to come here. Why would Faith tell us to do something that wasn't the right thing?" Kira was more intelligent and perceptive than a normal seven year old. Being plagued by the lives of thousands of dead slayers in your dreams since babyhood as well as having a doting demonic grandfather would probably do that to you.

"I hope you're right baby. I really hope you're right."

The cab pulled up in front of an older building in downtown Anaheim. It appeared to be one of the few places in the area that hadn't yet been Disneyfied. A hand painted door sign announced: Angel Investigations.

The door was heavy and opened to a dark staircase. Chandra climbed it with Kira clinging to the back of her jeans. At the top of the staircase, an unmarked door stood open and Chandra could hear the voices.

"I don't care Angel! That girl is a Sloth Demon magnet! I am not going to guard her again in these clothes. I need Sloth Demon throwaways and, as I will be requiring them solely for work purposes, you are required by law to reimburse me for them."

_Oh god! Oh hell! I recognize that voice._

Spike.

He was here.

Now.

She wasn't going to have to search for him after all.

Before she could choose to turn and run, Spike walked out of Angel's office and slammed the door.

"Bloody wanker!" He looked up at Chandra and a look of recognition crossed his face.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Her heart pounded. He was flashing to one of his last human memories, remembering her in 1880 garb, standing on the front step of her "Aunt's" home.

"I think you do William." It was at that moment, the unimaginable happened.

Spike became the first vampire in history to pass out.


	3. Hello Daddy

**I do not own the characters that were born in the mind of Joss Whedon. Only the characters that were born of my own sick vision are truly mine.**

Chapter 3-Hello Daddy

Spike lay on the floor for some time before he became aware of the voices.

"What did you do to him? I mean, I don't care, but what did you do to him?"

"I just said hello. He remembered who I was and it shocked him a little."

"Who are you?"

"Elizabeth…but you can't be here….too long ago…." Spike began mumbling.

"Yes William. It is Elizabeth. Wake up now." He closed his eyes tighter and then opened them quickly, expecting to wake in his office with his feet planted firmly on the desk. Instead, he looked into the face of the girl he had last seen as a human in 1880.

"What the bloody hell…" He sat up and scrambled back against the wall. If he had a heart, it would be pounding out of his chest. As it was, he could have sworn that he was sweating.

She stood up. "William, please, calm down. It's ok. I can explain…."

Angel looked from Spike cowering on the floor in shock to the tall blond standing next to him. It was then that he saw the grinning little girl standing behind her.

"Um, is someone going to explain what is going on?"

"You can't be here." Spike whispered. "You were human in 1880. We were together when I was human. You can't be here now. What are you?"

"Spike, if you will get up off the floor and stop behaving like that I'll tell you." Spike shook his head and slowly got to his feet.

"Listen, Angel, is there someplace we can all talk?"

"Uhhh, sure. My office in the back."

"Kira, honey, go in the other room and draw me a picture. Try to pick paper that doesn't look too important." Kira let go of Chandra and skipped past Spike into an empty room. His eyes followed her, finding something oddly familiar with her wavy dark brown hair….

"Lock the door behind you. I'll come get you. If something happens, yell for me and defend yourself, understand?"

"Yes Mama!" The door shut behind the little girl and Spike turned back to face Chandra, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Mama?" He asked, looking her in the eyes. She refused to meet his gaze and instead walked past both Spike and Angel into his open office. Angel shut the door behind them.

"First of all, my name is not Elizabeth, it's Chandra. Elizabeth was my grandmother's name and it fit with the time period." It was Angel's turn to look confused as he turned to Spike who had not moved from the closed door.

"Do you know what she's talking about?" He nodded.

"I met her in London a week before I met Drusilla." His jaw tightened as he remembered.

_My darling Cecily, how do I compare thine arms to a gentle breeze? But soft as your name…_

_William paused and looked up into the street. What exactly did her name do? It did many things to him but he pondered what to write on paper._

_"Excuse me, sir? Is there a carriage stop nearby?" He looked up upon hearing the American accent and looked into the face of a beautiful blond standing in front of him. She smiled and he looked away, embarrassed._

_"Um yes, actually, um one is right up here." He pointed down the street without meeting her eyes. _

_"Would you be so kind as to escort me? I'm rather unfamiliar with the city. So different than Dakota Territory! It's a little disconcerting to see so many people here." She linked her arm in his without waiting for his response and they began walking down the street._

_"My name is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Warren. And you are...?" She asked him politely._

_"William Stanley Pratt. It's a pleasure to meet you." He turned and smiled quickly at her before looking forward again. Women did not just approach him like this, ever. However, his mother had raised him with manners and he knew that it would be rude to just walk silently with this beautiful creature on his arm._

_They arrived at the carriage post and he helped her into the waiting coach. _

_"I'm sorry Mr. Pratt but could I impose upon you to accompany me to my hotel? You see, I only just arrived in London yesterday and I am a bit turned around…" she bit her lip and lowered her gaze._

_"Miss Warren, I would be delighted to but you see…I can't…I mean, I shouldn't…uh my mother…I…she's ill…." he stammered. He could not understand why this beautiful creature was lavishing so much attention on him. A part of him wondered why he was resisting._

_"Oh, you must be Ann Pratt's son! My Aunt Viola speaks of her often." His ears perked up when he recognized the name. This must be Viola Pattinson's niece from America. He vaguely remembered her mentioning that her sister's daughter would be arriving shortly when Viola had visited his mother for tea last week. He raised his head and really looked at Elizabeth. _

_She was tanned and wore her hair back in a plait down her back rather than in the tight upswept style of the society girls in London. Though he did not have much experience in these matters, it appeared that she did not wear a corset or bustle under her dress which was not as fancy as those he saw at the socials he attended. She seemed much more forward and outgoing than London girls but that must be an American trait._

_"So, Mr. Pratt, would you mind escorting me to my hotel? I would appreciate it and it would be so nice to have at least one friend in this city." Her smile was dazzling him and he could only nod before joining her in the closed carriage. _

_On the way to her hotel, she kept one hand on his arm while she spoke of being a homesteader's daughter in the Dakota Territory. Her mother was distressed that she would not be able to meet an educated man at her age and sent her to visit Viola in hopes of making a good match. _

_"My mother feels that I am too tomboyish for my own good," laughed Elizabeth. "She is terrified that I will become an old maid." William smiled but was again confused as a mixture of delight & bewilderment filled his mind. He was fascinated with this bubbly, vivacious creature who obviously cared little what was thought of her. It was so different from the cold, stiff and awkward relationship he had with Cecily and her friends._

"Spike, are you there?" Angel was waving a hand in front of Spike's face. Elizabeth or Chandra was watching him, concerned. Obviously, she had been speaking while he stared at her and remembered their first meeting.

"Yeah, yeah I'm here. It's a bit of a shock, that's all. To see someone that should have been dead long ago sitting across from you, obviously still human….it's just a bit overwhelming."

Chandra's blue eyes twinkled in the same way he remembered. "If you would listen rather than just stare it would make sense." However, he couldn't just listen and couldn't help but stare.

_The carriage arrived at the hotel. Opening the door, William got down and turned to offer his hand to Elizabeth who followed. _

_"Thank you so much Mr. Pratt."_

_"Please, Miss Warren, call me William." He did not release her hand and did not break eye contact. This was definitely a first for him._

_"I will, William, if you would please call me Elizabeth." She did not drop her eyes, nor did they lose their sparkle. That smile….he immediately lost his composure and dropped her hand._

_"Well, ah, I should probably go…to…check on Mother…." He ran his hair through his brown curls and adjusted his glasses._

_"Of course William. Do come visit me. We should have a cup of coffee and get to know one another better."_

_He was able to offer a faltering smile. "Of course. Good day Miss...er...Elizabeth." With that, he turned and fled._

"So, you're D'Hoffryn's great granddaughter, you are a telepath and now both you and your daughter are slayers." Angel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, glancing over at Spike.

"Am I leaving anything out?"

Chandra glanced at Spike, blushed slightly, then looked over at Angel and quickly looked away. Angel caught the quick look, glanced at Spike and then said.

"Oh I love this!" He laughed. "And here I thought for all these years that Drusilla deflowered you in more ways than one! Hah!"

"What about Kira?" Spike spoke quietly, ignoring Angel. He knew that little girl looked familiar. "Who is she?" Chandra met his eyes. He knew or was starting to suspect. Better to not draw it out.

"Spike-William-I…when I saw you fighting with the slayer I…you fascinated me. I had to learn more about you. I went back to when you were human. I wanted to know what kind of man could become the most sensitive, loyal and brutal, sadistic vampire in all of history…"

"I was far more brutal…" Angel mumbled.

"Oh shut the hell up Captain Forehead. Let the lady finish."

"Anyway, somewhere along the way I became infatuated with William the man. I had to meet you and, in doing so, knew that I had to know you…in every way…."

"Oh I think I'm going to be sick…"

"Angel, you bloody git! If you don't shut your mouth…" Spike stood and leaned threateningly towards Angel.

"Spike she's yours."

The room went absolutely still.

**A/N: I hope you have enjoyed the first three chapters. I know, cliffhangers suck but they work great for chapter endings! Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think. I will be continuing this story and am working on the next two chapters now & they will be up shortly.**


	4. Anger

**I do not own the characters that were born in the mind of Joss Whedon. Only the characters that were born of my own sick vision are truly mine. Speaking of sick minds, I smell lemons!!! Enjoy. **

Chapter 4-Anger

"I cannot believe this!" Angel stood up and walked over to the window before going back to stand in front of Spike with his hands on his hips. "I sleep with Buffy, you sleep with Buffy! I get a soul, you get a soul! I help the helpless, you help the helpless! I save the world, die doing it and get brought back to life, you save the world, die doing it and get brought back to life! "

"Umm Angel…" Chandra tried to stop him, especially seeing Spike seething, glaring at her. But Angel ignored her and continued.

"The one thing that I had was my miracle, impossibly alive son!"

"Angel…don't…" Chandra couldn't take her eyes off of Spike. His eyes were black, his muscles taunt.

"Now some girl that you did over a hundred years ago shows up and now YOU have a miracle, impossibly alive daughter!" He threw his hands in the air. "Can I have NOTHING of my own?" Spike lunged at Angel.

"I am going to kill you and then you can die all by yourself!" Spike began punching Angel in the face. Chandra rushed over, grabbed his arm and threw Spike across the room.

"See", Angel couldn't resist taunting, "the slayer still picks me."

"Oh Angel shut the fuck up!!!" Chandra whirled on him and grabbed him by the shirt, throwing him against the wall. "I promise you, you say one more word I will throw you out that window and we'll see if you hit the ground before you burst into flames!" She let go of him and turned to face Spike.

He was sitting on the floor, his arm covering his face. Chandra walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He jerked away.

"Spike, I am so sorry to…"

"Do NOT say you are sorry." His face shot up, his face blazing. "You had my daughter…all this time…and now you decide to tell me?" He glared at her, his blue eyes twin beams of ice. "Just tell me, how much time have I missed?"

"Seven years." He shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Spike, I had no idea you had your soul back. What was I supposed to do? I wasn't going to expose Kira to her soulless vampire father…"

"I would not have hurt her! Hell, I was practically LIVING with Buffy and Dawn…" he broke off, catching Angel's snort "One more word out of you and I am burning the lifts in your shoes!" Angel started to respond, thought better of it, and sat on his desk. Spike took a deep breath.

"The point is, I would never have hurt her. I would not have hurt MY daughter."

"Knowing what you know now, would you have wanted Kira in Sunnydale? Exposed to the Turok-Han? The First using her to mess with your head? Would you have stayed with Buffy if you knew that I was alive, that Kira existed? Could you have sacrificed yourself knowing that you would be leaving her behind?" Spike started to protest but Chandra stopped him.

"Do you know what would have happed if Wolfram and Hart found out about her, about me? D'Hoffryn told me that he had fought with them over a millennia ago and if they realized that he had blood relatives in human form, both Kira and I would be dead. That's another reason I didn't look for you after Kira was born. I couldn't risk them finding out about her."

"I would have protected you. We would have left Sunnydale." His face softened for the first time and he smiled. For a moment, Chandra was reminded of the man he used to be. He reached up and touched her face. "We could have been a family."

Chandra felt the tears starting, blinked rapidly and stood up. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted from the reason Faith had sent her here. "That would have made a great combination. A demonic slayer, a vampire and their time warp love child?

"Look, I didn't come back here to torture you Spike. Faith sent me here to warn you both. When you sent the Senior Partners back to hell, you released something that even they feared. Nature abhors a paradox. You cannot have good without also having evil. You had already destroyed the First and you got rid of the Wolf, Ram & Hart. This dimension was in danger of being thrown out of balance so the Powers That Be released the last major evil."

Angel finally appeared to be getting his game face on. "What is it?

"We only know that it is The Darkness. The only information we have is that it was kept subdued and imprisoned by the Old Ones. It was released once by the Wolf Ram and Hart but they were unable to control it. It took them two centuries to recover after containing it. The only beings capable of releasing this evil were the Powers That Be."

"Why would the Powers release this evil? Why didn't they just boost up the Senior Partners…" Angel trailed off, shaking his head. "It doesn't make sense."

"It does if you recall that the good ol' PTB aren't always so good. They are supposed to be the ones who hold the scales, not just the ones who keep the scales in balance. D'Hoffryn has told me some of the things they have done. The one I am sure you will remember is Cor...."

"Stop." Angel got up, angry. "Don't mention her name."

"My point is that Jasmine was not just a rogue 'Power That Was', as she called herself. What she did was sanctioned and allowed by all the Powers. They were in charge of this dimension in this beginning and they want that that control back. Giles said…"

"Enough!" Spike's shout startled everyone. "Angel, get out. Please. I need to speak with Chandra. We can discuss this later. I don't think that the world will end in the next hour." When Angel muttered something about it being his office, Spike raised his eyebrows and waved goodbye. "Fine. I'll go. I'll go take the kidlet to see Connor. He'll be interested in hearing the story…and you can have your 'privacy'." He walked to the door, started to shut it before remembering.

"There is to be no sex in my office!" He slammed the door.

No one spoke as they listened to Angel collect Kira and walk down the stairs. Spike walked to the door and locked it. He stood there with his back to Chandra, one hand supporting him as he leaned against the door.

"Spike, I…" In a flash, he vamped and was across the room. He pinned her to the wall, holding her neck with one hand and smelling the fear that spilled off of her in waves. Her heart was pounding, her eyes wide. He could feel the blood pulsing through her veins. It would be so easy to kill her, he decided,. As he stared at her, trying to build the fury to snap her neck, he saw the fire in her eyes that had so drawn him to her before and he knew he couldn't kill her. He wanted her to hurt, that was true, but more than that he _wanted_ her, right here, right now. His lips locked on hers and the vampire disappeared.

"What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly as his lips moved down her neck and he struggled out of his coat.

"Exactly what Angel said not to do." He chuckled. "Just because he can't get any in his office…" He picked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her to Angel's desk, shoving papers aside and knocking his lamp to the floor.

His lips were hot on hers and his fingers moved from her wrists to her waist as he lifted her shirt. She pushed her hands against his chest and lifted him off her. God he loved slayer strength.

"Besides pissing off Angel, why are you doing this?"

"Because I want you to know what I learned over the past hundred and twenty years." His lips traveled back to her neck and she reached up entwine her fingers in his hair.

"Spike you don't have to prove anything." She could have pushed him away but she didn't want to. She wanted his hands on her. She could feel his anger mixed with his desire and she felt her own excitement building.

Two shirts and bra disappeared. Pressed skin to skin, his hands struggled briefly with her jeans before finally pulling down the zipper. He moved his hand in her pants and over her panties. He felt for her heat and gripped it tightly. She moaned and arched her back, her nails digging into his shoulders. He took that opportunity to remove the remainder of her clothes and move down her body to the muscles jumping in her stomach.

"You didn't do this last time," he murmured, his tongue leaving cool trails across her stomach. She couldn't breathe, couldn't answer him. She was focused solely on what he was doing and adding his emotions to hers, doubling the pleasure. Everything he felt, she felt both through her body and again in his mind. When he finally moved down between her legs, she felt the heat of his breath on her center moments before his tongue began where his fingers left off. His tongue moved quickly and the excitement he felt when he tasted her almost sent her over the edge…too soon…too soon….

She sat up, grabbed his face and pulled him up until his lips were again on hers. She reached down inside his pants and decided that it was too much trouble to unbutton, unzip….she ripped them off him and looked down. She remembered how he had felt inside her the time before but he had been too shy to allow her to see. Now she saw that he was bigger than she remembered. She was all to ready for him to take her.

Thankfully, he picked up on her anticipation and whispered in her ear, "Do you want it now?"

"Yes" she breathed. His hands gripped her thighs before moving down her legs to wrap them around his waist. Then he entered her roughly.

The triple effect of his pleasure, her pleasure and a pain so hot she gasped caused her to immediately bite his shoulder to stifle her cries. He picked up on her eagerness and sped up his rhythm. Their stomachs clapped together as they moved together. He pressed his forehead to hers, his breath hot and panting on her face. This was not the love making it had been before. This was hot, rough, get off now fucking.

"Oh god, Chandra….look at me." He did not break rhythm as she opened her eyes to stare into his. His face turned to one of smug satisfaction and he thrust into her faster and harder. "You want more of this, don't you?"

"Yes…Spike…please…now…" He took the cue and gripped her hips, lifting her slightly off the desk and holding her still. As he thrust harder, she felt her orgasm building. She could tell he was close and she reached down and gripped his ass, digging in her nails. That pushed him over. Just before she felt his release, she let herself go. The pleasure seemed to go on for hours and then they were laying together, her breathing quick and his look more relaxed and slightly amused.

"I wish I had a camera so I could catch Angel's face when he comes back to this."

**A/N: Ok, here is the point where reviews have become necessary. I hope you are enjoying reading this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. **

**More to come later!!**


	5. Kira

**I do not own the characters that were born in the mind of Joss Whedon. Only the characters that were born of my own sick vision are truly mine. **

Chapter 5-Kira

Spike reached for his pants before realizing that they were a total loss.

"C'mon now!" he said, shaking the ripped clothing at Chandra. "At least I was polite enough to remove your clothing without completely destroying it."

She laughed. "Not my fault you wear tight pants." She jumped off Angel's desk and started opening drawers.

"You'd think someone who wears that much mousse would have a mirror somewhere." She opened up the bottom drawer and, finding said mirror, sat in his chair and attempted to smooth her sexed up hair.

"I've got to go get another pair. Damn. Be right back." Spike rushed out of the room. Chandra's eyes followed him out the door. She raised her eyebrow and then looked back at the scene of the crime. Oh yeah. Angel would definitely notice this one.

"Now I'm kind of glad I was fighting off Sloth Demons. Meant I had to keep clean clothes here." Spike walked back in wearing a tight black tee shirt and black pants. His blond hair, usually slicked back was still mussed and curly, his darker roots showing beneath the platinum. He sat down in the visitor's chair and swung his legs onto Angel's desk. He still had that smug, satisfied look on his face. Chandra had to laugh.

"I guess I should say 'you're welcome'. By the way, what was that all about?"

"Well pet, I couldn't decide whether to kill you or kiss you."

She leaned back, eyeing him warily. "Have you come to a decision yet?"

"I think I'll let you live for now." He swung his legs off the desk and moved to kneel down in front of her. "Tell me about her." His face was serious.

"I think that it would be much easier to show you." She took a deep breath. She hadn't projected her thoughts or memories into someone since working on controlling and focusing her powers with Giles and Willow.

She placed her hands on either side of Spike's face. "Close your eyes."

_Chandra stood in front of the mirror; shirt raised, inspecting her abdomen for the slightest bump._

_D'Hoffryn sat on the couch in the tiny apartment. "My daughter, you should come home. You need to be with family in your condition." "But I am home Grandfather." She placed her hand on her stomach, feeling the baby kick. "I want my daughter to have the same choice that you have kindly given me. Please don't rush us."_

_"That's it Chandra! Push!" The nurse helped her into an upright position as she fought the urge to scream through the pain. "Work for your baby now…here she is Mama!" The tiny cries filled the room as Chandra laid eyes on her beautiful baby girl._

_"Kira! Be careful! Grandfather D'Hoffryn will be coming today for your blessing and you are not going to ruin your dress." Six month old Kira grinned at her mother before rolling over on her side and putting her toes in her mouth. "She is such a beauty! You humans are so lucky!" Halfrek picked up baby Kira and kissed her cheek. "Now sweetie, remember to let your Auntie Hallie know if your mama doesn't let you get your way."_

_The feeling of power slammed into Chandra. She felt it surge through her like electricity. Hearing her daughter cry, she knew that she had felt the same thing. "Oh no. Slayers? That's not possible!"_

_D'Hoffryn paced in front of Chandra while two year old Kira played with the new teddy bear he had brought her. "Daughter, I would never have predicted that a child of my lineage would be a potential slayer, let alone both of them! You must promise me that you will not harm our family. Keep that and you will always have a place with us." "Grandfather, I swear to you, neither Kira nor I will never harm a vengeance demon who has not threatened our lives." _

_Kira on her first day in pre-school. "Now remember baby. You can't tell people who we are or show anyone what you can do. Can you promise that?" "Yes Mommy."_

_"Miss Pratt, your daughter is extremely bright and very imaginative for her age." Mrs. Mann, the kindergarten teacher, pulled out a drawing depicting Kira's family. Kira had drawn herself with Chandra, D'Hoffryn, and Hallie. Off to the side, a picture of Spike, his hands red._

Spike pulled away and shook his head to clear it.. "She knows about me?"

Chandra nodded. "She's always known about you. D'Hoffryn told her once when she was little. I was a little perturbed because I had to clean up some of the stories as he told her all about the Boxer Rebellion, why you're nicknamed Spike, how you slaughtered those gypsies, New York in the seventies…he thought he was playing you up."

Spike's voice got low. "Is she afraid of me? I mean, she didn't even look at me earlier."

"No, she's not afraid. I told her that we would wait to tell you the truth when the time was right. She is, in her own words, 'playing it cool'." She moved one hand back to his face. "Do you want to see more?" Spike shook his head.

"No, not now. I just want to see her again." They sat quietly for a moment and jumped when they heard a grate opening and footsteps pounding up the stairs. Kira's giggle entered the room before she did. She stood in the doorway for a moment, her little face suddenly the picture of seriousness. She hung on the doorknob and looked over her shoulder as a frazzled looking Angel appeared behind her. Then she turned and focused her attention solely on Spike.

Spike stood and smiled at her. She grinned back, looked at her mother, and then ran to him. She launched herself at him and he caught her in a bear hug, holding her to him. Kira giggled again and pulled back, keeping her little arms around his neck.

"Hi Daddy."

His voice was shaky. "Hi to you too little one." He knew at once why he recognized her. He saw his mother in her face and his brown curls on her head. She had Chandra's blue eyes as well as her mouth and ears. He looked towards the doorway where Angel stood, looking exhausted. "So tell me love, did you have fun running circles around your Uncle Angel?" She nodded excitedly. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear "That's my girl."

Chandra walked over to stand with Angel as Spike sat with Kira on his lap, listening as she told him what she had done with Angel earlier.

"I don't even want to know what happened in here." He said, looking at his desk. Chandra smiled.

"Good. Because I don't kiss and tell." She watched in amusement as Kira retold her sparring match with Conner and how she had won.

"What does your son think of her?"

"He has finally found someone else who can relate to the weirdness of having a vampire for a parent. He had her show off some of her slayer training and she's very good." Chandra nodded in agreement.

"Giles said it's because she was just a baby. He said she's a natural. She has a lot more control now than she did four years ago. Willow was tempted to bind her powers until she was old enough to handle the strength but Faith talked her out of it. Faith is really the reason Kira has progressed as much in her skills. She spent a lot of time with Kira, more so than some of the older slayers." Chandra stopped and rolled her eyes. "It's hard for me to call them 'older' because I was the oldest new recruit. I was twenty-six when I came into my slayer powers and it was just two years later than we met Giles. Under normal circumstances, neither I nor Kira would have ever been called."

"Well, Sunnydale was not normal by any means," Angel snorted.

"Which brings us back to the problem at hand." Chandra said.

"It's a pox lips." Kira said, her mouth struggling to get out the words.

"No baby, apocalypse. And it's not to that point yet. Remember what Giles said? 'Anticipate don't exaggerate'." Chandra smiled at her daughter before continuing.

"Like I was saying, this evil was here before the Old Ones, when the Powers That Be walked the earth. They created it, intending for themselves to be the ultimate good while this was the ultimate bad. Again, balance to the universe. They called it The Darkness.

This evil, though, could not be controlled. It wanted to control the universe and created the first race of demons, the Old Ones, from it's own flesh. The Powers fled the earth and left humans to take care of the demonic threat. The humans were weak and the earth began to fall under the evil of The Darkness and the rule of the Old Ones. When the Old Ones began to establish their kingdoms and force their subjects to worship them, The Darkness began to kill them off. The remaining Old Ones banded together for one time only, performing the ritual that bound The Darkness and stripped it of it's powers. It did not die but fell dormant for thousands of years. The Old Ones ruled the earth until the time of humans and the creation of the first Slayer.'

"We are aware of this bedtime story pet," Spike said, stroking Kira's hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. She appeared to be falling asleep.

"Wait a minute," Angel interrupted. "The First was the original evil. We destroyed that."

"Correction, _I_ destroyed it." Spike said, his voice rising slightly. Angel rolled his eyes and looked back at Chandra.

"True, the First is-I mean _was_-an original evil. It is the part of The Darkness that the Wolf Ram and Hart released but could not control. While the First became it's own entity, the Darkness remains. And it is now loose and it is heading our way. Giles and Faith said that you were the only ones who knew how to stop it." Chandra looked first at Angel, then at Spike. The two vampires' eyes met and then they spoke at once.

"Illyria."

**A/N: I may post chapter six tomorrow but I'm not sure. I hope that you are enjoying the story so far and don't think that I have jumped the shark already with Spike and his daughter. If you think the story is moving to slowly or at just the right pace, please leave me some reviews (either kudos or "you suck", doesn't matter) and tell me what you think. **


	6. Visitor

**A/N Again, I own nothing. These characters are, mostly, Joss Whedon's**** creation. The newbie characters, however, are all products of my own twisted imagination.**

Chapter 6-Visitor

Chandra's phone began to ring.

"It's Faith. I forgot to call her…" She walked to the corner of the room as she answered. Angel glanced out the window, realizing that the sun was finally setting. What a long day.

"Hey mate, I'm going to go put Sleeping Beauty here in my office." He stood carefully, Kira's head on his shoulder completely sound asleep.

"Don't go saving the world until I get back," Spike called over his shoulder.

"Wasn't gonna." Angel couldn't figure out why they always turned into five year olds whenever a girl got within twenty feet of them. For the most part, Angel and Spike got along alright. Over the past year and a half, since settling back in LA, Spike was almost tolerable. When Fred had died, setting off the sequence of events that had led Angel back full circle as a simple private investigator, Spike could always be counted on to back him up. He had saved the baby from the Fell Brethren and was the first to return to the alley behind the Hyperion Hotel. Following the battle with the demon warriors sent by the Senior Partners, Spike had pulled Angel from the hotel's wreckage. They found Gunn dead, Illyria gone and half of LA in ruins. It was a moment that cemented their bond as brothers.

Of course it didn't stop Spike from being an obnoxious prick whenever he had the opportunity.

"What!!" Chandra's raised voice got his attention. "When did she leave?" Her blue eyes flashed with anger. "Faith, I told Giles not to tell her I was coming here…..no, no, no…no I do NOT need her to fly out here and bring her drama….Faith I told you when I left that I wasn't going to deal with her about that again….well call her and tell her to turn her skinny blond ass around and go back to Africa…Faith, she is not going to come out here and ruin this…it's her fault Giles didn't tell us anything sooner Faith!...Oh is she still pissed that you didn't keep everything a secret?....I don't care what she says, he's not hers anymore!!!" Chandra stopped and took a breath. "Fine. You just call her and tell her if I so much as catch her within the city limits…well then you better get on the next plane, girl, because I will take her out!...No I'm not kidding Faith…Call and ask Andrew what happened in Rome before we flew out here….I'm surprised she can still walk…hell _Kira_almost kicked her ass!" she paused to listen and Angel could almost hear Faith's voice through the phone. "You might as well call Xander and tell him to take over watcher duties for Giles in Ireland because I expect the two of you out here by the end of the week to haul her ass home!" She clicked her phone shut and had to restrain from throwing the phone across the room.

"That BITCH!!"

Angel was watching her face change from near purple with anger back to red. Her blue eyes were still snapping and her jaw was clenched as tight as her fist.

"So I take it you and Buffy don't get along that well."

"Angel that is the understatement of the year." She took another deep breath closing her eyes and kept breathing, focusing on calming herself.

"Three years ago, when I first met Giles and he introduced me to Buffy, Buffy told me that Spike was dead." Angel frowned and looked at her.

"Buffy knew that Spike wasn't dead. We went all over the world trying to find Illyria and even met with Willow, Buffy and Xander in Africa. She knew-"

"Yes, I know that she was fully aware that Spike was alive. She didn't want me to go find him, especially when I told her that was part of the reason I had sought out Giles in the first place. I didn't stay with them in Europe the whole time. I wanted Kira to have as normal a life as possible, for as long as possible. We would return home so Kira could go to school. During holidays and vacations, we would meet with Giles and Faith to continue our training. I rarely saw Buffy when we visited.

It was during our last visit that Faith took me aside and told me that Spike was alive. She said that Buffy had ordered everyone to keep quiet and that Faith was sorry she had listened to her. They had gotten into a fight when Faith asked Buffy when she was going to tell me the truth. Buffy told her that Spike being alive was 'need to know information and the demon bitch and her hell spawn don't need to know.' Faith accused her of being jealous and told her that she knew that Buffy only wanted Spike around as a sex toy." Chandra stopped when she heard Spike move a chair in his office. She waited a moment and, when he didn't come back in right away, she continued.

"Faith said that Buffy blew up. Buffy said that she had already watched Spike do a demon once before and she was damned if she'd sit back and let another one near the man she loved." Angel blanched.

"She said she loves him?"

"Angel, focus please!" Chandra shook her head. What was it with these two vamps and their obsession with that blond skank?

"Faith told Buffy that what she was doing was unfair to Spike and to Kira. She told Buffy that if she loved Spike so much then why didn't she get off her lazy ass and tell him? Buffy told her that it was none of her business and to let the matter drop. Faith told her to go fuck herself and that's when Buffy jumped her. They fought until Xander broke it up. Faith went back to Dublin, where Kira and I were staying with Janelle and Maggie, two of the other slayers. She took me aside and told me everything. She told me that the two of you were alive and that, while she didn't know exactly where you were, she knew that Lorne could find out. Now, that psycho ex of yours is on her way here. Giles and Faith only found out a few minutes ago when Andrew let it slip to Dawn who then called Faith to warn her.

"She could be landing at LAX right now."

They heard Spike shut the door to his office and walk up the hall.

"Chandra, let me tell him. She'll be on her way here as soon as she lands. He has to know before she shows up."

"If she shows up, that beat down in Rome will be nothing compared to what I'm going to do to her."

Spike walked back in without picking up on the tension.

"She is so beautiful when she sleeps. Did you know when she is dozing off she hangs onto your ear and clucks her tongue?"

"Spike, I'm really glad that you're enjoying the whole 'father' role but we have bigger fish to fry." Angel stepped in front of him and crossed his arms. "Buffy's on her way."

"Correction," the voice said from the doorway. "Buffy's here."

**A/N: Man this is too soon for a cliffhanger so just consider this your brief commercial break. I just needed to pause for dramatic effect.**

"Spike, you know she's lying to you." Buffy stood there, her arms crossed, her eyes not leaving Chandra who met her gaze with her own eyes narrowed.

"That's not your daughter and she's not really a slayer. She's just a demon plant sent here to finish what Wolfram and Hart couldn't." Chandra watched as Buffy had the nerve to walk towards her, daring Chandra to attack her first. Chandra could hear Buffy's thoughts as clearly as she could her own, their link made stronger by the slayer bond.

_She has no right to him. He doesn't want her anyway. He knows that she's the reason he's a vampire. If she just gives me an excuse I'll kill her._

"I'm not going to play your little game Buffy. Faith already called me. I've already told Angel everything." Even while she said those words, she could sense Angel's hesitation at hearing Buffy's accusation. She could only hope that she could keep it together long enough for Buffy to make the first move.

"Yes Chandra. Let's talk about Faith and how chummy you are with the rogue slayer. We all know that Faith's lied in the past. That's why Giles keeps such a close eye on her. She's probably been waiting for the moment to turn on all of us."

"You jealous bitch. I told you in Italy to stay the hell away from me and mine." Chandra looked at Angel.

"Call Giles, Angel. Call Willow. Hell, call Xander for crying out loud. Even Xander's tired of this bullshit will tell you what's going on," Chandra insisted. "About how this crazy, possessive psycho told all of them to lie to me and to lie to you." Spike, recovering from the third biggest shock of the day, looked from Chandra, to Buffy and back to Chandra.

"Lied to me about what?"

"Buffy told me three years ago that you were dead. She's known about Kira and I this whole time and she hasn't said a word to either you or Angel. She didn't want me to come find you because she wants to keep you in her own personal harem to use whenever she needs to get off."

"Spike don't listen to a word she says." There was an edge of desperation in Buffy's voice. She had intended to ambush Chandra, make it appear that she was here to help them. Then she was going to send that demon bitch back to hell.

_And while I'm at it, I'll get rid of the bitch's hell spawn too._

Chandra saw red and lunged at Buffy.

Angel saw her move and, in the same instant, caught her in midair and tossed her to Spike. Spike's hands clamped down on her arms and restrained her.

"She's going to kill Kira," Chandra hissed between clenched teeth. "I heard her mind. She wants you to help her kill me and then she's going after Kira." Spike's eyes narrowed at Buffy and she showed the first sign of fear.

"That's not your daughter, Spike. For god's sake, she's a _demon-"_

"We're still human you dumb whore!" Chandra was shaking and Spike's hands tightened their grip as he continued to glare at Buffy.

"If she's still human, Spike, why does she still maintain ties with her _demon_ grandfather?"

"Buffy, if Chandra was really evil, she wouldn't have even given you a chance to get here. She didn't even attempt to leave when Faith called her." Angel stepped in front of Buffy. "And Kira is Spike's daughter. Hell she even looks like him, poor kid."

"It's a glamour Angel! Can't you see that? Willow does them all the time…"

"But Willow's not here. And vengeance demons don't use glamour, you know that from Anya." Spike loosened his grip on Chandra as he spoke.

"You don't know what she can do, especially since she isn't being honest about what she is!"

"I know of one way to find out, once and for all." With that, Spike vamped and bit Chandra's neck.

Immediately, he tasted human blood. It was not ordinary human blood. This blood had slayer strength. Almost immediately, the bloodlust took over and he clutched at her body in a desperate attempt to drain her. His conscious mind tried to stop but the intoxicating taste of her blood brought the monster forward. Chandra was not fighting him and only turned her eyes to Angel, begging him to help her.

Angel vamped and rushed forward tearing Spike off of her and pinned him to the wall with one arm. Chandra collapsed to the floor, her neck still bleeding. "Snap out of it Spike! You're killing her!"

Spike was still vamped but his eyes cleared. His face was suddenly human once again, a mask of horror at what he had done.

"She's human. Oh god, Angel, she's human and she's a slayer. I could taste it. She's telling the truth."

With that, as both vampires turned to help Chandra, Buffy pulled a curved knife from her jacket, ran to where Chandra lay bleeding and brought the knife down into her chest.

**A/N** **I hope that you are enjoying psycho crazed stalker Buffy as much as I am enjoying writing her that way.**

**Again, I see over thirty readers and only three reviews!!! Thank you to CaptainJuice and AkkiAsh for showing love! I am writing this as much for you all as I am for myself. I too am dying to know what happens next!**

**Have a great night and look for chapter 7 tomorrow.**


	7. Planning and Loving

**A/N Again, I own nothing. These characters are, mostly, Joss Whedon's creation. The newbie characters, however, are all products of my own twisted imagination.**

Chapter 7-Planning and Loving

Darkness

Pain

"Angel, get over here mate. I can't stop the bleeding!"

Darkness

"Willow, get Buffy out of here. We'll take care of…"

Darkness

"Giles, what can we do…"

Her chest hurt. She felt her eyelids flutter but couldn't keep them open.

"Chandra! Stay with me! I just got you back love!"

"Let the demon bitch die! Giles, let me..."

Darkness

"C'mon Chandra. I brought Giles like you said. C'mon girl, you're a slayer! You kick ass!"

Darkness

She was floating

Air forced down her throat

"Giles, man, please, don't let her die."

"Spike, he's doing what he can. When Willow comes back…"

Air forced down her throat.

"She needs a hospital Spike! I can't tie off her artery and I don't know what organ damage she has sustained!"

"Aunt Faith, what happened to Mommy?"

"Faith get her out of here!"

Air forced down her throat.

She pushed it out.

She took one on her own.

Her chest hurt.

"That's my girl. C'mon please."

Her eyelids fluttered and opened. They closed again. The light was too bright.

"Willow, we need you!"

"Sorry Giles. The binding wasn't taking. Buffy can really fight…"

"Willow, heal first, monologue later."

"Right. Sorry."

Darkness.

Floating.

Pain.

Chandra sat up, gasping for air. She blinked, clearing her vision. Spike's face was the first she saw. He immediately grabbed her face and kissed her.

"Hey, hey there easy on the kissing! I just healed a four inch deep stab wound to her chest. Could you let her get back on her feet before you jump her bones?" Willow flopped herself back in Angel's chair. "Whoa! Little woozy! Giles, next time you want me to teleport three people a few thousand miles, can you please make sure that when we get where we're going that someone does not require major surgery?"

"Yes Willow I'll get right on that."

"Giles?" Chandra turned towards his voice. "When did you get here?"

"Not soon enough apparently. Chandra, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that Buffy…"

"Giles…" Chandra sat back, dizzy. Spike picked her up and cradled her in his arms.

"You just lie still now pet. No need wearing yourself out. You're fine now." He looked from Giles to Willow. "Where did you put Buffy?"

"Willow bound her power and sent her to Ireland with Xander. He'll watch her with Janelle and Maggie's help." Giles removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know what you're thinking and please don't. Something happened to Buffy when Chandra joined us…"

"Yeah, she got bitten by the jealous bitch bug." Faith walked back in with Kira. "Everything ok for the midget to come in?" Without waiting for an answer, Kira ran across the room and threw herself at her mother.

"Mama! Are you ok? I saw blood…Mommy, why did Buffy hurt you?" She buried her face in Chandra's shoulder. Spike adjusted his hold on Chandra so he had a free arm to take hold of Kira.

"Your mother's going to be fine love. She's tough."

"Fuck yeah she is." Faith hopped up on Angel's desk. _That desk has seen a lot of hopping today, _Chandra thought. Faith pulled out a cigarette. "What's Angel's policy on smoking in the office?" Willow stood up and took both the pack and the loose cigarette from Faith's hands. She threw them in the trash.

"Sorry Faith but lung cancer is outside the realm of my healing capability." Faith rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. So Giles, are you going to tell us what happened with little miss tight ass? What's her deal?"

"Yeah I'm a little curious about that myself," said Angel, walking back in the room. "Chandra said something about Buffy still loving Spike or something…"

"Nice to know some things never change," Willow murmured under her breath.

"To answer your question, Faith, Buffy's deal is that she saw Chandra as a threat. Not just for Spike's affections but also because she is part demon."

"Giles we settled that she's human..."

"Yes human blood runs through her veins but she is heir to the vengeance demon dynasty. Though she has not yet accepted D'Hoffryn's offer of joining him, she has not yet turned it down. As long as she left that option open, Buffy saw her as a threat."

"Giles, I never hid that fact from you." Chandra went to stand, got dizzy and Spike caught her by the waist before she collapsed.

"Chandra you really should rest. You lost a lot of blood. Between the stabbing and…the biting…" Giles shot a look at Spike who was instantly defensive.

"Hey, we had a bit of a thing going on that needed solving before you and the rest of the Scooby gang showed up."

"Anyway," Giles continued, "Buffy still hasn't gotten over the fact that Spike has a daughter and therefore has a connection to someone else. She got a little used to Spike being there for her…er…um…how do I put this...her _physical_ needs." Giles cleared his throat.

"What does that mean?" asked Kira.

"Ask me again in thirty years," replied Spike.

"In short she overreacted a bit when she realized you were on your way here to see him."

"A _bit_?" Chandra laughed. "Seriously Giles you are actually defending her?" She stood up now and crossed her arms. "I suppose that you're going to tell me I can't fly back there and kick her ass."

"Yes, Chandra that is exactly what I'm telling you." Chandra snorted and shook her head.

"You know Giles, after all this time…I mean it's been what, almost four years since I met you? I told you my whole story. I trained with you, even though I was no where near ready to even consider being a slayer full time. I allowed you to train my daughter who was barely over being a toddler. You knew that Spike was her father and that I was looking for him and you never said a word…"

"In my defense, when I first met you, I didn't know that either Spike or Angel were still alive. We knew that Wolfram and Hart had been driven out of this dimension and that Los Angeles has sustained heavy casualties in the battle. I didn't find out until after Buffy met with you…"

"And then you followed her orders and kept quiet."

"Chandra, while I don't want to minimize the severity of what happened and how wrong we all were to keep that information from you and Spike…"

"Yeah I feel really bad about that," Willow called.

"Totally Chandra. I wish I had stood up to Miss Fatal Attraction 2009 and just told you straight out," Faith draped her arm across Chandra's shoulders.

"…we really need to address the problem we face with the Darkness," Giles continued.

"What problem?" said Angel. "We find it, we kill it, problem solved."

"It's not that easy Angel. The reason the Darkness has been released is because of the lack of major evil in this dimension. If we simply destroy the Darkness, without having a replacement big bad waiting in the wings, we risk throwing all of existence out of alignment again, like it was when Wolfram and Hart pulled out of this dimension entirely." Giles rubbed his temples as if he had a major headache.

"So, essentially, we have to destroy one major evil and have a replacement handy?" Angel frowned. "That's not how it works, how we work. We take out evil, we don't give it a boost up the corporate ladder."

"Angel, I agree with you and this disgusts me as much as it does you but we really have no other option."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Chandra looked over at Kira and Spike. She had fallen asleep and he was rocking her gently. His eyes were focused on Chandra.

"Look, I have an idea. This has been a totally fucked up day and I think that we need to get some rest if we are going to be clear in what were doing here." Faith looked at Willow.

"Red, take Giles back to Ireland. He needs to be with Buffy if she is going to be of any help at all in this fight. When you get there, call Kennedy and fill her in on what's going on. I'll stay here and help the boys and Chandra prepare." She looked at Angel.

"Is Connor still in the picture?"

"Yes but I'd rather he not fight if he doesn't have too. He has a relatively normal life now…"

"Well, we may not have that option, Angel. If this is going to be as bad as Giles suspects, it'll be all hands on deck." She looked at Spike.

"Have you gone all paternal now or are you still a complete bad ass?"

"I can hold my own, if that's what you're asking." Faith nodded.

"Ok then. I say we meet back here in about twelve hours and we'll work on the game plan. Giles, you focus on Buffy now. Willow, I'll need you and Kennedy to call me tomorrow night and we'll see where we are." Faith walked over to Spike and lifted Kira into her arms.

"Chandra, you may want Kira to stay with D'Hoffryn until this is over."

"We'll discuss that tomorrow, Faith." Chandra walked over to her friend and hugged her. "Thanks for showing up when I needed you."

"Hey, you owe me now girl. Don't worry. I'll collect on it. In fact, you're going to owe me huge because I'm taking the midget with me for the night." Faith winked at Spike. "I figure you two could use a little 'alone time'." She grinned.

"Okay, and on that note of TMI…Giles are you ready?" Willow stood up.

"Will, thank you."

"Hey don't mention it. Say hi to D'Hoffryn for me."

Giles held his arms open and Chandra hugged him.

"Chandra dear, if I could take back..."

"Giles, stop. We have other things to brood over now. I can get over it. Just keep Buffy on your side of the Atlantic for now and we'll call it even."

"Fine then. Willow, if you're ready, let's go see if Xander is still standing." Willow grinned, waved at everyone and then she and Giles shimmered out of sight.

Spike slipped his arm around Chandra's waist and whispered in her ear.

"C'mon love. Kira's safe for the night." She looked over her shoulder at him and saw him raise his eyebrow and smile.

………………………………………………………..

They made it back to his apartment in record time.

Chandra turned to Spike as soon as the door was closed.

"Have you decided whether you want to kill me or kiss me?"

"No, I decided that I want to hold you forever. Don't you ever leave me, you hear?"

"That's funny to hear you say that after one hundred and twenty years. You'd think I was your first love or something."

"It dawned on me today when I saw you on the floor, bleeding to death, that you were my first love. Cecily was an obsession. Dru was a sickness. Buffy was, well…"

Chandra stepped back and crossed her arms. "Tread carefully, lover."

"I loved Buffy because she reminded me of you." He moved over to her, wrapping one arm around her and stroking her face with the other.

His kiss was gentle and soft.

There was no hurry this time. There was no desperation, no anger. They could take their time and love each other as they were meant to.

She turned her back to him, snaking an arm around his neck and leaning over her shoulder to kiss him. His hands moved under her shirt and over her stomach before sliding up to cup her breasts. She sighed and arched her neck. His lips traveled down her jaw line to her neck, pausing for a moment over the scar he had left her hours ago.

"So sorry about that one love."

She turned, pressing her body into his. Their faces were mere inches apart. She kissed him, softly at first and then with more force.

They were on his bed in moments. Their hands, lips and tongues explored every inch of skin and, when he finally entered her, slowly and gently, they began to move together and it was as much about giving as it was taking.

When they were spent, Chandra lay in his arms, her head on his chest. His fingers left cool trails as they slid lazily up and down her arm. They lay like that together, not speaking, until the sun rose and Chandra finally fell asleep.


	8. The Gift

**A/N Again, I own nothing. These characters are, mostly, Joss Whedon's creation. The newbie characters, however, are all products of my own twisted imagination.**

Chapter 8-The Gift

"So, you and Spike huh?" Faith took a drag on her cigarette. She and Chandra had decided to take Kira to the park while Spike and Angel did a little information gathering on the Darkness. They had a few demon contacts that were in the area who they could "persuade to be helpful" in finding Ilyria although, according to Angel, they were lost without a Wesley or a Giles. Spike had suggested that they ask Xander or Dawn for help as they had both become de-facto Watchers and Dawn had found her herself to be rather skilled at deciphering demonic history and prophecies. Angel had tried to speak with Xander who had promptly hung up on him. Angel then tried contacting Dawn directly but her phone was turned off.

"Yes, Spike and I." Chandra smiled sadly and looked down.

"Hey, it's what you wanted, or what I thought you wanted. What's with the long face?" Faith finished her cigarette and stomped it out under her foot.

"Faith, for Spike, it has been over a hundred years since he laid eyes on me and he has had that long to get over what I did to him. It has only been eight years for me and seeing him as he is now brought it all back like it was yesterday. It was my selfishness in wanting to see him as a human that made him a vampire. I am responsible for the deaths of two slayers, not to mention hundreds of humans. And I'm not even a demon yet!"

"God, one full day with Angel and already you are in the running for brood master. You never brought any of this up back in Ireland the entire time I knew you. What started you on the trip down the moral highway?" Faith waved to Kira who was swinging from the monkey bars. The bigger kids, who had seen her jump from the ground to the first bar stood back, mouths agape. _She's only four feet tall and she did a standing jump from the ground to that seven foot high bar with no effort whatsoever! The kids a natural!_

"Yes I know. I just wish she wouldn't do that with witnesses."

"Damn. I forget you can read minds. I wish I could read yours and know what you're so down on yourself about." Chandra grabbed Faith's arm.

"You know better than to make a wish to a vengeance demon."

_"Mother, are you feeling better today?" William got up without waiting for an answer and helped his mother to her chair. _

_"Yes, William, I am feeling much better today, thank you." Ann coughed lightly behind her handkerchief and smiled at Elizabeth. "William, why don't you introduce me to your visitor?"_

_William straightened up, looked at Elizabeth and smiled. "Mother, this is Miss Elizabeth Warren. She is Viola Pattinson's niece from America." Elizabeth stood and walked over to Ann and shook her hand lightly. _

_"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Pratt. William speaks so highly of you." Ann's gentle smile disappeared behind her handkerchief as a much harsher spasm of coughing overtook her. _

_"Mother-"_

_"William, darling, I'm alright. Forgive me dear. I'm just a touch under the weather today but I have been on my son to introduce me to the charming girl that appears to have stolen his heart." Ann smiled at William who turned several shades of red before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. He glanced over at Elizabeth, expecting to see her pale and trembling with embarrassment, as Cecily often did but she only smiled at him, appearing pleased with this knowledge. _

_"Mother, we were going to go for a walk tonight but if you are feeling poorly…" Ann cut him off with a wave of her hand. _

_"Elizabeth, please forgive my son. He is a sweet man but needs to learn to not abandon a beautiful girl to care for his mother. William, Bridget is here tonight. You go on and have a nice evening." She smiled again. "William, dear, please ask Bridget to bring my tea up to my room. I believe I'll retire early." _

_"Of course Mother. You need your rest." He leaned over and kissed her cheek._

Faith jerked her arm away.

"What the hell was that?"

"You said you wished to know what was in my head. Wish granted. I was thinking about what I did to William Pratt in 1880. I made him fall in love with me when I did not love him. I seduced him. He was a gentleman and I went after him like a common whore. He was gentle and kind and when I disappeared after that night, he turned all of his anger and grief into his god awful poetry and sought comfort with that Cecily by finally revealing his feelings for her. She publicly turned him down and he ran, mortified into the street. He ran into Angelus, Darla and Drusilla. Drusilla turned him and we know what happened next." Chandra looked at Faith with narrowed eyes. "_I_ did this to him. If I hadn't brought out that side of him…"

"He would have died alone, probably shortly following his mother's death from tuberculosis because he would have been too petrified to leave his own house." Chandra and Faith both turned around to see Spike standing in the shadows of the thick trees. He motioned for Chandra to come over.

"Is that what your problem was this morning pet? Why you wouldn't speak to me? You're blaming yourself for what I've done?" Chandra nodded. "Well stop it. I was a pitiful mess before I met you. I was scared of my own shadow, not to mention my own feelings." He glanced at the tree branches as they moved slightly in the breeze before continuing. "You showed me, taught me, what it felt like to be a man. That I didn't know how to handle it was no fault of yours." He reached out and pulled her to him. "You don't need to worry any more about any blood on your hands. Those bodies are all on my soul, not yours. What matters now is that we are together again, for however long that may be. I would prefer forever but will settle for whatever you'll give me." He looked over to where Kira was swinging and his expression softened. "I'll settle anything as long as I get to see that little miss grow up. She's a beauty. I suppose I'll have to start menacing the lads who come to call in a few years. I'm actually looking forward to it." He looked back at Chandra, his face calm but his eyes were pleading, searching hers for the answer he wanted. She took his hand, entwining her fingers in his.

"I will stay with you as long as you want me, William." He grimaced. "I'm sorry, but you may have been Spike for over a hundred years but you were just William to me eight years ago." Suddenly, they heard Kira scream.

"Chandra! She fell!" Faith was already on her way to where Kira lay on the ground.

"Spike, no!" Chandra stopped him as he instinctively started to run across the sunny playground to help his daughter. As she ran after Faith, she heard him mutter "What the bloody hell kind of man am I? I can't even help my own daughter without bloody well bursting into flames."

"Kira! Baby! Are you ok?" Chandra knelt by Faith and scooped up her daughter. Kira had a cut on her forehead and dirt on her face. Her hands and knees were scraped but she was awake, almost in shock. The tears hadn't started yet but they were there on the surface waiting to unlock and spill over. Chandra had one moment of panic as she watched Kira struggle for breath and then relief washed over her as the tears and the crying finally started. "It's alright baby. You're ok." Chandra kissed her and rocked her gently.

"Um, Momma, Papa's getting restless over there." Faith jerked her chin to where Spike was pacing back and forth. Chandra could hear him debating the best way to dart across the playground, grab Kira, and get back to the shade without burning up on either trip. "Chandra, you better take her over there before we have a dust storm on our hands."

Chandra carried the still crying Kira over to Spike who immediately took her out of Chandra's hands and cradled her to him. He began humming softly to her and she stopped crying.

"That's my girl. You're alright now. Just a nasty bump but you'll heal fast. You're a slayer after all." Faith came up behind them, her phone in her hand.

"That was Angel. He's back at the office and asked that we go back there." She looked at Chandra. "Are you going to send Kira to D'Hoffryn? I don't know how much time we've got." Chandra looked over at Spike who glanced up, closed his eyes and nodded.

"Kira baby, I'm going to call Grandfather D'Hoffryn. You're going to stay with him for awhile."

"No, Mommy. I want to stay with you and Daddy. I can fight now. Aunt Faith said I'm big enough."

"Sorry, midget. This is a big one, even for the grown ups. It's not slaying the vamps in Dublin and Belfast. This is big and we don't want anything to happen to you."

"Your Aunt Faith is right, love. Your grandpa will watch over you and then your Mum and I will come get you when it's safe again." He kissed her forehead and held her close to him. He looked at Chandra. "Well, get on with it love."

Chandra closed her eyes, took a deep breath and walked over behind the pool house. She pulled out D'Hoffryn's amulet.

_"Beatumsit in nominee D'Hoffrynis. Fiat hoc spatium porta ad mundum Arashmaharris."_

With a whirl of wind and light, D'Hoffryn appeared.

"Who has dared to summon D'Hoffryn?" he growled before seeing Chandra.

"Daughter! How are you? It has been far too long!" He held out his arms and Chandra hugged him.

"Hello Grandfather. You look well."

"So I am, so I am. So, how is my favorite…" he trailed off and the smile left his face as he saw Spike holding Kira.

"What are you doing with my granddaughter, Vampire?"

"Hello to you too D'Hoffryn. As to what I'm doing, I'm holding my daughter until I have to tell her good-bye." D'Hoffryn's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed as he turned to Chandra.

"So you found your vampire lover I see. I thought you had given up on that fantasy."

"Grandfather, we are not going to have this discussion again, especially with Kira right here. I have a request. We've got trouble." She filled him in on the Darkness, the evil that was on its way and asked that he take Kira for the time being.

"Daughter, you know that I will keep my Kira safe. I only hope that you will remain safe on this plane." He appeared thoughtful. "It would be better if you were to fight this as a demon. You would have your immortality, your slayer strength and full use of your demonic powers." He looked at Faith and then again at Spike. "I would feel better about your chances if you would take me up on my offer. I have heard stories of the Darkness. Of course, I always thought that they were myths. However, if half the stories are true…Daughter, Chandra…" he trailed off and Chandra realized that this was the first time he had ever used her name. "I fear for your life." He held out his hands. "Please, you and my Kira are the last of my children. I beg you. Allow me to bestow your birthright upon you. There is no trick. I swear on my Kira's life. You will have all of your powers and I will absolve you of any vengeance responsibilities until after this fight is over." Chandra looked first to Faith and then to Spike, trying to decide.

"It's up to you love. If your old man is legit, it may help us get one over on this."

"Do it," was all the Faith would say.

"Grandfather, if I do this, I have a few conditions. When we are done with this war, I want Kira returned to me in human form. She will have the same choice that I had, just as I told you when she was young. Also, if I do not make it, you will return Kira to either her father, Faith, Angel or Willow. No playing the possession is nine-tenths game. If she chooses to take you up on your offer when she is older, then that will be up to her. And no sneaking her off to a dimension where a day there is equal to a year here to age her faster. She will live as a human for as long as possible. Agreed?"

D'Hoffryn frowned and then nodded.

"Agreed. Daughter, you do have my brain for logic. I hope that one day I will be able to watch you wreck vengeance on the world. Until then…" Chandra took his hand.

_"Arashmaharaka domini nos fiatum"_

Chandra's eyes rolled back in her head. She began to tremble and Spike saw a light leaving D'Hoffryn's hand and flowing into her. Kira hid her head in his chest. Faith took a step back. Then, just a quickly as it began, D'Hoffryn released Chandra's hand and she dropped to her knees. Faith took a step towards her but Chandra held up a hand.

"Just give me a minute." She took a couple of deep breaths and then stood. She could feel the conflict of the demonic blood mixing with both her slayer and human self. She could feel the rush of power and energy flowing through her veins.

"You alright there love?" Spike was watching her, concerned. Kira looked at her with wide eyes.

"I'm fine. In fact, I feel much, much better." She walked over to Spike and Kira.

"Kira baby, tell Daddy that you'll see him later ok? You're going to go with Grandfather now." Kira shook her head and Spike set her down so he could look her in the eye.

"Now listen pet. I hate to see you leave when I just got to know you but I will feel much better knowing that the big bad can't hurt you. I promise you, I will see you again. Your mother and I will come for you and we will be a family." He looked at Chandra as he said the last and she heard him ask the question that would make his promise a reality. "Now, give Daddy a hug and go with D'Hoffryn like a good girl." Kira threw her arms around Spike and squeezed. "I love you sweetheart. Always remember that." When she let go, she was crying quietly and then she ran to her mother.

"Mama, I don't want to leave." Chandra held her close.

"I know baby but it's safer this way. You will come home with us soon. And Grandfather will enjoy getting to spend some time with you, I'm sure. Just remember our rule…"

"I know, I know. Don't make or grant any wishes because they will come true whether we want them to or not." Kira stood up straight and squared her little shoulders before walking over to D'Hoffryn. He took her little hand in his.

"Are you ready to go now my child?" Kira nodded.

"See you later midget." Faith waved at her from behind Chandra.

"Bye Aunt Faith. I love you."

"Daughter, take care. This will get very bad before it gets better. Keep the amulet and don't hesitate to call on me if you need me." With that, another burst of wind and light and both D'Hoffryn and Kira were gone.

The weight and knowledge of her daughter no longer being with her, of her not even being in the same dimension hit her like a ton of bricks. Chandra felt her legs give out and her chest tighten. She sank to her knees, gasping for breath. Immediately Spike was there, wrapping his arms around her.

"She'll be alright now, love. We don't have to worry about her in this. I promise you, _WE_ will get her back." Faith cleared her throat.

"Um, we need to get back to Angel's office. There's some new info that's come up." Faith walked by Chandra and touched her arm. "The midget will be fine. No worries."

_Yeah_ thought Chandra. _No worries. Just the world coming to an end, not knowing if I will ever see my daughter again and not yet knowing what my demonic powers are or how to learn to use them. Everything is just peachy._

The three of them turned towards the sewer entrance to head back to Angel's office.

**A/N Sorry for the length. I have a lot to say in this story and some things can't be glossed over or saved for later. You know how it goes. **

**Again, please need some love people! Reviewing will help me learn what I need to do to make this story better. Thanks for reading. Chapter 9 possibly tomorrow night.**


	9. Time's Up

**A/N Again, I own nothing. These characters are, mostly, Joss Whedon's creation. The newbie characters, however, are all products of my own twisted imagination. I have used some brief dialogue from the end of Not Fade Away for flashback purposes. Please don't sue me.**

Chapter 9-Time's Up

Faith, Spike & Chandra walked slowly up the stairs to the office of Angel Investigations. Angel was waiting in his office behind his desk.

"Ok boss, we're here. What's this new information you gathered that we had to hurry on back?" Spike's usual sarcasm was slightly subdued. It was then that Angel noticed that Kira was gone.

"Where is…"

"She's with D'Hoffryn. We felt that she would be safer in another dimension until this situation is taken care of." Faith jumped in, seeing both Spike and Chandra wince. "On another note, Chandra took D'Hoffryn up on his offer and was granted her powers." Angel looked surprised.

"You mean you're a demon now?"

"No more so than you or I mate." Spike said, defensively.

"Angel, I have always been a demon." Spike opened his mouth to protest but Chandra shook her head.

"I know that you tasted human blood but I was born part demon, as my mother and grandmother were before me and as Kira is now. It is who we are. We can't change that. The difference between my family and other demons is that we have to choose to unbind our powers. So, in essence, if we deny our demon heritage, we remain human. If we accept, D'Hoffryn will unbind our powers and we become a full vengeance demon. From what D'Hoffryn has told me, back when he was trying to convince me to join him, I have access to more power than the average vengeance demon simply because I was born of his blood." She shrugged. "However, D'Hoffryn never did tell me what all of my powers would be."

"Unfortunately, we may not have time to learn." Angel leaned forward. "From the contacts I made today, the Darkness is building. Whatever we experienced with the First and the Senior Partners will be child's play compared to what this thing will do."

Spike sat back. "So I may bloody well end up a nutter in a high school basement again talking to my dead mum? Well this is just fan-bloody-tastic."

Faith looked hard at Angel. "The First tried to take out the slayer line. Will the Darkness try to finish the job?"

"I'm not sure. It would be a likely tactic but it knows that the First failed six years ago. Plus, there are no more potentials, only slayers. The Darkness knows that it is up against an army of slayers if it tries to go that route again."

"Angel, we've only been able to reach a third of the slayers that Willow has sensed. There are thousands of slayers in this world who have no idea what they are, have never had any training and are completely vulnerable." Faith frowned. "Giles was afraid that this would happen. That we would come up against a threat before we were fully organized." Her eyes flashed with anger. "But it's hard to get organized when you have a fearless leader who is more interested in keeping her sexual desires satisfied than doing her job. That was what always pissed me off with Buffy. She was always little miss goody two shoes when we were teenagers and looked down on those of us who didn't take things as seriously as she did. Now that the rest of us have stepped up to the plate and could really use her help, she has completely turned her back on us."

"I don't think we should even factor in Buffy at this point. I talked to her last night after you all left. She's in Ireland with Giles and is completely unwilling to cooperate with any plan that involves Chandra. I think you may be right Faith, about the jealousy thing. I don't think that she really loved Spike…"

"Says you!" Spike snapped. Chandra smacked his head. "Ow! Sorry love. I'll shut up now."

"Smart move man," Faith muttered under her breath.

"As I was saying, I don't think that Buffy ever really loved Spike, any more than she loves me now. She considered us to be possessions and I think that she is more upset by the loss of one of her admirers than she is the loss of Spike himself. She's not the same girl that I fell in love with and I'm really not sure how I feel about her now. She's different, almost bitter. It's like she doesn't feel special because she's not the sole Chosen One anymore so she's taking it out on everyone around her." Angel sighed and shook his head. "I wish I could help her but we don't have time to deal with neurotic females. The only problem is we could really use Giles here and he won't leave Buffy. I don't know why he won't just let Xander handle her as he definitely won't come out here."

"What did the little git say to you this morning?" asked Spike.

"He called me a cocksucking bastard, among other things, and then he hung up the phone."

"Moving on from Buffy," Chandra said, raising her eyebrow at the two vampires. "Yesterday, you said you needed Ilyria. Did you find out anything more about where she is now?" Angel shook his head.

"I haven't seen her since that night in the ally. After I killed that dragon, I must have blacked out. When I came to, I was buried under a wall and Spike was pulling me out of the rubble." Angel looked at Spike. "Do you remember anything about where she went?"

"No mate. I was fighting three demons, holding my own too I might add, and the little minx was fighting next to me. She was protecting Gunn, who was pretty much gone at that point. Next thing I know, I'm flying through the air and it got quiet. Then the hotel was collapsing and I saw Angel go down under a wall. When I saw that the demons were gone, I went to help him out. Ilyria was already gone at that point. I never did see where she went."

"What happened to the demons you were fighting?" asked Faith, confused. "I mean, you two describe it as the gates of hell opening up. Shit, half the city was destroyed! Weren't you the least bit curious as to what happened?"

"To be honest, no we weren't curious. At least I wasn't. I made it out, I was alive. Time to move on until the next apocalypse." Spike got up and went to the cabinet in the back of the office where he retrieved a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels and four glasses. "Might as well stay half lit if we have to go through that whole mess again." Angel took the bottle out of his hand.

"We need to find out where Ilyria is Spike. She's the only one who knows how to bind the Darkness."

"Well then we might as well get good and drunk because if that little hell tiger doesn't want to be found, we won't be finding her anytime soon." Spike grabbed the bottle back poured his shot and raised the glass. "Cheers mate." He slammed down the drink and immediately reached for the bottle to pour another shot. Faith beat him to it and poured her own drink.

"If only you knew where Ilyria was Chandra. You could just show us with that whole telepathic thing you do."

Angel slapped his forehead and groaned. "Oh I am an idiot!"

"No arguments here mate. Glad you finally accepted it."

"Shut up Spike! Remember, how did you meet Chandra, I mean, well, when she was Elizabeth?"

"What do you mean? She stopped me on the street and asked where the carriage stop was…"

"No, no, no. I mean, how did you get to meet her? She wasn't alive back then, right?"

Now it was Spike's turn to look confused. "Not following."

"She went back in time, right?" Angel looked to Chandra. "You were able to time travel, right?"

Chandra nodded. "Yes, but D'Hoffryn took away my ability to teleport." Angel walked over and leaned towards her across the big table.

"But you just got your powers, right? You should be able to teleport now shouldn't you?"

Chandra's eyes were wide. "Yes but when you teleport through time, you are not just an observer. You are there. You can make changes to the past." She glanced at Spike. "You can make changes that affect more lives than just your own."

"I thought I told you to stop that kind of thinking! What I was, what I am, was not your doing."

"Besides," Chandra continued, "if something happens and you can't get out of the line of fire, you can die." She bit her lip and her forehead wrinkled as she thought. "If we go back to the time when Ilyria disappeared and the battle ended, we may very well end up dead. Neither one of you knows what happens or when it happens. You just know the aftermath. What if we change something and Wolfram and Hart wins?"

"And what if we were there watching the whole battle the first time?" asked Faith. "It's worth a shot. Just like you had to go back to meet Spike and that kind of set him on the path to become a vampire, it wasn't like he wasn't already a vampire when you went back." She frowned and sat back. "Did that make sense to anyone else?"

"Basically you're saying that she saw me as a vampire in the present and went back to see how I became one but that she had already done that in my past so that when we met, she really didn't change the future?" Spike glanced at Chandra. "Is anyone else getting a rip roaring headache?"

"That's it exactly Spike. If we were already at the battle, then we are not changing anything that has happened over the past five years. We'll come back here to the same time and place as we started." Faith looked at Chandra. "You want to give it a shot?"

"I guess we can. Just remember, observe only! Don't try to change anything. Don't try to save Gunn and don't try to stop Ilyria from leaving. We need to see what happened and where she went so we can find her now. If we change anything, we can't come back to this time because it won't exist." She looked at each of them. "I'm dead serious. No trying to play the hero. Do not interfere. Do you understand?" Everyone agreed.

"Ok then. Form a circle and join hands." Angel, who was standing next to Spike, quickly moved to the other side of Faith. Chandra rolled her eyes.

"Spike, Angel, you two are the only ones who were there. I need you to focus on where you were, what you were doing. I need to be able to see everything in your mind. The surrounding buildings, the streets, where the demonic army originated, everything. I need you to be able to see it exactly like you were back there." Slowly, she saw the images in Spike's and Angel's minds. The night, it was raining. Spike was in a doorway in the alley. Angel ran from Wolfram and Hart after killing Hamilton and met him there. A demon roared.

_"Can you feel the heat?"_

_"It's coming."_

_"We've finally got ourselves a decent brawl."_

_Gunn arrived, triumphantly but badly wounded._

_"You're supposed to wear that red stuff on the inside Charlie boy."_

"That's it. I see it. I'm going to try…"

The room disappeared.

They were in the rain on the rooftop. It was dark and the screams and growls of the damned filled the night air. The hot smell of sulfur burned their noses.

"We're here." Spike walked to the rooftop edge and looked down. Angel, Chandra and Faith followed and saw the legions of hell descending on the band of four in they alleyway. Over it all they heard Angel, the Angel from below them.

"Personally, I kinda want to slay the dragon. Let's go to work."

"Bloody hell" said Spike, reaching for Chandra's hand, "it's started."

**A/N Hope you enjoy this cliffhanger because we may finally see what happened in that alley after Not Fade Away ends. I'm giddy with anticipation so I wanted to get this chapter up and viewable ASAP. And please everyone who is reading: I need reviews! Are you following this story or just stopping by? Do you like it or think it sucks and my brain should be examined? Please, please just a teensy amount of love. That's all I'm asking for. LOL**


	10. Back in Black

**A/N Again, I own nothing. These characters are, mostly, Joss Whedon's creation. The newbie characters, however, are all products of my own twisted imagination. **

Chapter 10-Back in Black

Angel had just killed two of the smaller Gruhock demons. Ilyria was fighting a large, armor covered Saro Demon. Charles Gunn was trying to swing his ax one handed but was quickly bleeding out and getting weaker. Ilyria had positioned herself between the demons and Gunn. Spike was fighting off three Trolkof Demons. All four in the alley were fading in the wake of the onslaught from the legions of hell. On the roof, the four observers watched the scene in horrified fascination.

"How the bloody hell did we last this long?" Spike whispered.

"Watching Gunn…this is killing me not doing something…" Faith turned away.

"Faith, we need your eyes. Gunn fought hard. You can't do anything to help him now." Angel stood next to her and he placed his hand in the small of her back to turn her around. When she looked back on the scene below, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.

"Angel, the last thing you remembered was slaying the dragon. How did you do that?" Chandra spoke without taking her eyes off of the scene below. That the two men standing next to her were still alive was a miracle.

"I started up that fire escape on the Hyperion." he said pointing it out across the alley. "It flew low and I sliced off it's head." Angel risked a brief glance at Chandra before returning his eyes to the hordes of demons. "Why?"

"Because that's the last thing you remember doing and you're getting ready to do it now." Sure enough, Angel was jumping onto the second floor fire escape and running up the stairs.

"Keep your eye on Ilyria," said Angel. "Whatever is going to happen has to happen soon."

Just then, Chandra saw Ilyria standing alone. The Old One stood facing the hordes of demons, her arms up with her palms facing them.

"Ok, the dragon is dead." The building rumbled as the demon's massive body crashed below.

"It fell between us and the army. It blocked them." Spike frowned. "I don't remember this."

"Look at Ilyria." Angel whispered, staring down. Ilyria's body was radiating a blue light. "She's going to explode."

"And take out half the city with her." Spike finished.

"And we're standing in the middle of it." Angel grabbed Faith and Spike picked up Chandra and they both started running. They jumped quickly to the next building and didn't slow down.

"Stop! We need to see where she's going!" Chandra struggled to get out of Spike's grip but he wouldn't let her go.

"If we stay there, we are in the middle of a bloody atomic explosion."

"You both survived before! I'm a slayer! Faith is a slayer! We need to be there."

Faith finally wrenched her way out of Angel's arms and ran back to Spike. She punched him and he let go of Chandra. Both slayers jumped back to the next building and ran to the edge of the roof to see….

The blue light flashed, the explosion deafened them. The shockwave knocked everyone off their feet. Spike had one glimpse of Chandra and Faith, lying on the roof, not moving, before he felt the building give out from under him.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Angel woke to the rain on his face. If was still dark and the smell of sulfur still lingered. He felt someone approach him.

"Spike…"

"Why are you here?" He opened his eyes. Ilyria looked down on him. "You are in two places at once. You are an abomination. Why are you here?" The Old One stared at him.

"Ilyria, what happened?"

"I showed the Wolf, Ram and Hart that I am still ruler of this world." She looked slowly over her shoulder and then back to Angel. "They will not return so long as I exist here." She leaned over and pulled him to his feet.

"Gunn is dead. Wesley is dead. You and Spike are alive over there." She pointed across the alley where Angel could see and hear Spike, the Spike from the past, digging through the wreckage of the Hyperion. She turned her head to face Angel again and did not release her hold on him. "How are you here as well?"

Angel looked into her face and for a brief moment remembered Fred. "You did this." Ilyria cocked her head and lifted her chin before finally releasing Angel.

"Yes. I stopped the hordes of vermin that crawled the streets." She stepped towards Angel. "You are not the same. You are not of this place." She stepped back. "You have moved through time. Where did you learn this magic?" Angel started to answer when he hard Spike call out to him.

"Angel! I need your help! I've got Faith and Chandra here!" Angel ran past Ilyria to where Spike was digging through bricks and pieces of roofing. Angel could see an arm and dark hair. He could smell the blood.

"Oh god, Faith." He pulled section of roof off of the slayer and picked her up. "She's breathing!" There was a deep gash on her head and her lip was swollen. He checked her over and it didn't appear that she had broken any bones. She groaned softly.

"Faith, come on. Wake up." She frowned and moved her head. "That's a girl. Come on…." The rain was washing the dirt and blood from her face. He heard Ilyria move quietly behind him.

"Your friend will live. Her heart is still strong." She looked down at Faith. "She is not from this time. I do not know her. She wasn't here before." Faith opened her eyes and groaned.

"Angel…"

"Hey Faith. How are you feeling?"

"Five by five boss." She tried to sit up on her own but Angel kept her down.

"Don't move too much Faith. You hit your head pretty good."

Spike was still digging in the wreckage. Angel saw a flash of bloody blond hair and heard Spike cry out.

"No, Chandra! No!" He brought her over by Faith and Angel. "Is she breathing? I can't tell…" Angel had only seen Spike really panic once before and that had been last night when Buffy stabbed Chandra. Angel reached over and felt her throat. He felt a pulse. Suddenly, she coughed and brought her hand up to her head.

"I told you…we had to see…"

"You know, you have to stop trying to leave me doll. All you're doing is making sure that I stay closer to you." Chandra grimaced.

"I owe D'Hoffryn for that one. When I saw that brick wall falling on me, I thought I was dead. Probably would have been if I were still fully human." She looked over.

"Faith…"

"Right here sister. It's all good." Faith looked over at Ilyria. "I think we found what we're looking for." Ilyria walked over to Chandra and knelt beside her.

"You. You are a demon." She grabbed Chandra by the throat and pulled her off the ground. "Tell why I should not kill you where you stand." Spike dove at Ilyria, knocking her over and Chandra fell back to the ground.

"Ilyria wait." Angel got to his feet. "You want to know how we got here? She brought us here." He pointed down to Chandra. "Yes, she is a demon but she's on our side." Ilyria stared down at her.

"She is not from this time. I do not understand." Ilyria turned to see the Spike and Angel from her time.

"Gunn is dead," they heard Spike tell Angel. "I don't know where Ilyria is."

"What happened? Why did they stop?" Angel appeared disoriented.

"Don't know mate. I went flying through the air and that's all I know."

"Let's get out of here before someone comes back to finish the job. Then we can figure out what's going on." Spike and Angel ran up the street. Ilyria started to follow and then stopped.

"They are looking for me and yet you are here."

"Ilyria, we came back from the future to find you." Angel looked down at Faith who was slowly getting to her feet. "In our time, in the future, the Darkness is coming."

Ilyria snapped her head around to face him.

"I was born of the Darkness. Then it began killing the gods of my world. We bound it's powers and buried it in the Deeper Well." She looked from Spike to Angel. "Who released it?"

"The bloody Powers That Be. Something about the balance of the universe being thrown off when Wolfram and Hart scurried away with their tails between their legs." Spike was looking to the east. "Can we move this discussion indoors? Because Angel and I will be crispy critters in about fifteen minutes."

"Ilyria," Chandra approached her cautiously. "We need to know how to stop it. Can you help us?" The demon god faced her.

"You must show me this magic you have. I smell power in your blood. Yet, your body reeks with the stench of humanity." Ilyria approached her. "How did you come to possess this power?" Spike frowned and stepped protectively towards Chandra. Ilyria turned her focus on him.

"Spike. You have feelings for this one. You stand over her as if to protect her from harm." She moved closer. "You have mated with her recently."

"Ilyria, is this really relevant..." Angel shook his head. "Look we need you to help us. The Darkness is loose and we don't know what it will do and you are the only creature in this world that has successfully defeated it."

"It's too late. I have been drained. I must return to the Deeper Well. My tomb is my strength and I cannot fight any longer. I must sleep." She looked at the four of them. "Look for me in your time. Perhaps I will be ready then." She turned and jumped from the rubble, disappearing from sight. Angel ran after her but she was already gone.

"So we go back to the Deeper Well then. This is terrific." Spike frowned and looked at Chandra. "Ready to get us home then love?" She nodded, the four of them joined hands and shimmered out just as the first rays of sunshine hit the place where they had stood.

………………………………………………………………………………….

Chandra was in the shower washing the blood and dirt from her body and hair. The hot water loosened her muscles and helped to dull the headache that was forming. _All for nothing,_ she thought. _It was all for nothing._ Angel had called Giles when they had returned with the news on Ilyria and where she might be found. Giles had told him that he had received word that the Deeper Well had collapsed in on itself five years before. They deduced that Ilyria, in an attempt to return to her resting place, had destroyed the well. Giles said that he would have a team of mystics sent to the well's former location to see if they could sense any power emanating from the site. They were back in a holding pattern. Giles told them to sit tight, wait for his call and be on their guard. A team of slayers in Albania had just been killed by a creature that could assume many shapes and moved like smoke. Willow had been watching through one of the girls' eyes and had felt it when each of the slayers were ripped limb from limb. She was in bed, recovering from the trauma.

Chandra punched the shower wall. She was furious. She wanted to hurt something, someone. She didn't know if it was her demon side coming out or the knowledge that her sister slayers were dead.

"You alright in there love?" Spike poked his head in the bathroom. When she said that she needed a shower, Chandra had hoped that he would join her but, when they got back to his apartment, he had only kissed her before taking off his dirty shirt and going to the kitchen for his blood.

"I'm fine." She hissed between clenched teeth. She was far from fine. She was pissed. At him, at Angel, at Giles, at fucking everyone at this point. Giles was none to happy to hear that Chandra was now a vengeance demon and had flat out refused to speak to her on the phone until he had "discussed the matter with the team." She was sure Buffy would be all too eager to fly back and take Chandra out now and she hoped that the skinny ass blond bitch would try it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Spike opened the shower door and looked at Chandra with concern.

"What could possibly be wrong Spike? We are up against a creature we have no way of defeating, my former watcher is mad that I have become a demon, even though he knows full well that I am on his side, my daughter is in another dimension and I have no idea if I will see her again." The tears of anger and frustration that had been building finally spilled over. "And you treat me like I'm made of glass. You wouldn't touch me once we got here. It's like you're disgusted with me too. That I made this decision to help out the team and now I'm being punished by everyone!" She moved to shut the shower door but he hung on, his face moving from concern to anger.

"Now wait a minute. I care about you and I don't want to see you hurt. I know you can take care of yourself but that doesn't mean that I can't try to take care of you as well and if you don't like that, too bad. Get used to it." The anger faded from his face and was replaced by his smirk. His blue eyes lit up as he looked her up and down. "As for not wanting you, well love, you've got another think coming." In one move, he turned off the water and picked her up and carried her, naked, back to his room where he promptly dropped her on the bed.

"Spike! Your bed will get all wet!"

His blue eyes were mischievous. "That's kind of the idea pet." He proceeded to kiss her down her neck, across her breasts and to her stomach. Then he stopped and lay next to her looking down at her. "What are you thinking?"

Her eyes narrowed but her smile intensified. "Do you want me to tell you or show you?" She ran her hand over his bare chest and fingered the button on his pants.

"I'd prefer the showing, if you don't mind. Just go easy on the trousers love. I only have one more pair."

………………………………………………………………….

**A/N: I was about to add in a dose of lemonade. I even had a nice steamy piece written but I couldn't make it fit. It seemed too gratuitous. Don't worry though, if you're looking for more of that. We're just getting started. Besides, some things are better left to the imagination.**


	11. First Attack

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

Chapter 11-First Attack

Spike lay in bed watching Chandra sleep. When he was sure she was completely out, he got out of bed and went into the kitchen. He opened up the refrigerator and debated for a minute between the blood and a beer. The beer won. He couldn't sleep right now and he knew that Chandra needed her rest. He went into the small dining room and turned on the TV. Of course, it was late and nothing was really on except for the infomercials so he turned on his Playstation and proceeded to kill as many zombies as possible. He was on the fourth level when he heard a noise coming from the bedroom.

"I'm in here love." There was no answer. He put the game on pause and went to check on her. He made it to the hall and heard another noise coming from the dark bedroom.

"Chandra?" He started toward the bedroom door.

Drusilla emerged.

Spike started and stumbled backwards.

"My dear Spike. You don't look happy to see me."

"Dru…what are you…where did you…" In a flash he thought of Chandra.

"Have you missed me my pretty boy?" She walked towards him, smiling.

"Oh god, Chandra." He knew he had to get past Drusilla and see what she had done. He wouldn't forgive himself if she had hurt Chandra.

"You found a new pet didn't you Spike?" Drusilla's smile was wide. "Another Slayer." She clucked her tongue in disappointment. "Didn't _I_ make you happy?" Drusilla was standing right in front of him and reached out to touch his face. He jerked away.

"Aww, the kitty doesn't want to be petted." She made a small purring noise. "All in good time, all in good time…"

"Where is your daughter Spike?" That snapped him out of the trance.

"How do you know about Kira?" He could barely get the words out through his clenched teeth. She laughed and spun away from him, dancing lightly in the hall.

"A little birdie told me. Tweet tweet! So sweet…so pretty…she is so pretty, isn't she Spike? She'll make a tasty little treat for Mummy." She stopped dancing to look at him. That pushed him over. He vamped and lunged at Drusilla but, instead of attacking her, he passed right through her and landed on the floor.

"Oh look at the pretty daddy on the floor." He rolled over on his back and tried to sit up but Drusilla put her foot on his chest. "Can't even catch smoke."

"You're not Dru." While he couldn't grab a hold of her, he still could not dislodge her foot from his chest. "You're the First."

Dru, or the creature pretending to be Dru, laughed and backed away. The Dru image faded away and then Spike was looking at himself.

"You really are a stupid git aren't you?" The Spike-thing glared at him. "The First is dead. Your Slayer whore buried it." It began walking towards Spike who got on his feet. "You know who I am mate."

"The Darkness," Spike whispered.

"Well aren't we the bloody genius." It grabbed Spike by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "Now why don't you tell me where that sweet little girl of yours is?"

"Spike?" Chandra called from the bedroom. "What's going on?" The bed creaked as she got up. Without letting go of Spike, The Darkness/Spike turned and called

"Nothing love. Just getting the paper. Go back to bed. I'll be right there." It turned back to Spike and smiled, an evil glint in it's eye. "Should I join her and make you watch? I can do that you know." It tightened it's grip. "Then when she screams it will be me she feels inside. And she will scream. Would you like that?" Spike clawed at the hand at his throat but it wouldn't budge. Finally The Darkness/Spike released him and Spike dropped to the floor.

"Your Chandra and I will meet soon. Then I will find your daughter and introduce myself. Her demon grandfather can't hide her forever."

"You bastard. You leave Kira alone." Spike got to his feet. He felt completely helpless. His only consolation was that he knew what was happening unlike when the First was tormenting him.

"All in good time pretty William." It was Dru again. "You must come and play with me. I've so missed our games. Daddy won't play with me anymore and I'm all alone." It looked towards the bedroom door. "Time to go home and rest. Bye bye, my pretty, bye bye." Like the smoke it was, the Darkness vanished. Spike felt his legs give out and he collapsed to the floor. Just then, Chandra appeared in the doorway wrapped in a sheet.

"Spike..." she trailed off when she saw his face. "William? What happened?" She rushed over to him.

"It was here."

"What was..."

"The Darkness. It was here. It was Dru and then it was me. It's looking for Kira." He looked up at her, his face a mask of torment. "It knows D'Hoffryn has her."

Chandra blanched. "I've got to call him..." She moved to get up but Spike grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

"No! If you bring D'Hoffryn here, you'll lead the Darkness right to her. She's safe as long as she's with D'Hoffryn. It would have to go through an entire clan of vengeance demons to get to her. D'Hoffryn can move her to a dozen different dimensions if he needs to. Here, she's an open target." He could see by Chandra's face that she was prepared to argue with him so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. "Don't worry love. As long as she is far from here, she's safe."

Chandra put her hand on his face, trying to get a clear read on his thoughts. "It didn't want me out here? Why?"

"I don't know love. More than likely, it just wants to toy with us some more." He stood and helped her to her feet. "I guess we should call Angel. He and Faith need to be warned that it could be after them next. And Angel's son. It may go after him too. I mean, it only makes sense. Kira and Connor are children who, by all of nature's laws, shouldn't exist. It could want them for their power." Chandra shook her head.

"Kira doesn't have any powers."

"She's a slayer, pet. The youngest slayer in history, I gather. And Angel's son is almost indestructible, or something like that." He kissed her. "Go get dressed. I'll call Angel." Chandra frowned and then turned to go back to the bedroom. Spike went over to his phone and called Angel.

"Hello?" Spike almost dropped the phone when he heard Faith's voice answer Angel's phone.

"Faith? Where's Angel?" _Oh man. Please don't let him be perfectly happy._

"He's in the shower. What's going on?" Spike filled her in his meeting with the Darkness.

"You and Angel need to get over here. We need to work out a plan."

"We'll be over as soon as Angel gets out of the shower…"

"No doll, you better drag him out now. If he just got in the shower then he'll be in there for a while."

Faith laughed. "Someday Spike, you'll have to explain to me exactly how you know that. We'll be over as soon as we can." She hung up.

……………………………………………………………..

Faith hung up Angel's phone. She walked over to the bathroom door and avoided the steam that poured out.

"Angel! Hurry it up in there. We need to go." She went over to the dresser and grabbed her cell and her jacket. She heard the water turn off.

"Angel! C'mon man. Time's a-wasting. Let's go!" She turned around and saw him standing in the doorway with a towel around his waist.

"What's the hurry?"

"Spike called. The Darkness just went after him. It tried to find out where Kira is. Spike suspects it will go after Conner too. We need to get over to his place and figure out what's what." Faith's eyes swept his body from head to toe. She raised one eyebrow and then turned to conceal her smile. "I'll give you a little privacy so you can get dressed." She walked out to the living room and tried to keep her mind off of the night before.

"Oh dear Faith. Didn't I teach you better than that?" She snapped her head around.

"No." She backed up against the wall. She was looking at Richard Wilkins. "No, we went through this six years ago. You're dead. You're not really here."

"Oh, you're not happy to see me, are you Faithy? I am so disappointed in your manners. Didn't I teach you that you must always make your guests feel welcome?"

Faith shook her head. "We're not dancing this dance again. You don't exist anymore." The mayor's face melted away and was replaced by Buffy.

"First, you turn Spike over to the demon whore. Then you fly all the way out here to sleep with Angel." The Buffy thing laughed. "You really didn't need to go so far out of your way to prove what a slut you are. We all already knew." Faith flinched but didn't respond to the accusation. Instead, she laughed.

"You big bad, evil creatures that go bump in the night. You all have the same M.O. Swoop in, pretend to be a bunch of dead or used to be dead people, get us all riled up to psych us out but in the end, you all go poof into little piles of dust."

The Darkness/Buffy walked closer to Faith. "You can't touch me but I could snap your neck before you could even scream." It smiled. "Did Angel do that for you too? Make you scream?" Faith took in a deep breath. She knew that it was trying to bait her, to catch her off guard.

"So what do you want? You want a play by play account of my sex life? Hope you got a few hours because…" Darkness/Buffy cut her off by knocking her across the room where she crashed through a coffee table.

"Faith! What's going on out there?" Faith heard Angel running into the room. She caught one glimpse of Darkness/Buffy as she waved good bye and blew a kiss before disappearing.

"It was here. It was the mayor and it was Buffy. It was the same ol' show as the First." Angel helped her to her feet. She pulled away from him and walked to the door. Standing in the open doorway, she turned back to face him. He was watching her but she wasn't going to get into this right now.

"Angel, let's go meet with Spike and Chandra. We need to pick up Conner first. We can't leave him alone. If that thing tries to go after him, no telling what mojo it will try to work on his head." She turned around and walked out the door. A few moments later, she heard Angel follow.

_When this is all over, _she thought, _Angel and I will have a sit down. Until then, we can't be distracted. _She smiled. _One happy couple in this equation is more than enough._


	12. Not Another Scooby Meeting

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

Chapter 12-Not Another Scooby Meeting

"Something hasn't sat right with me since you got here, Chandra," Angel was pacing the room. "You said that the Powers That Be released the Darkness." He looked over at her. She nodded.

"Yes, that's what Giles' source said." Angel stopped in the middle of the room and looked at both Chandra and Faith.

"Who was his source?" he asked. Chandra looked to Faith, who shrugged.

"I don't know," replied Faith. "It was someone Buffy found in Africa, some expert demonologist or something like that. I just know that after Giles talked to this guy, he started talking to me about how we needed to get in touch with you two immediately. That's when I flew to Italy to talk to Buffy about finally filling Chandra in."

"Why did Giles say that Spike and I had to be contacted?" Angel had resumed his pacing.

"Dad, seriously. Sit down okay." Connor came back in from the kitchen. "You're making me dizzy." He sat backwards in one of the kitchen chairs he had brought in. Angel leaned back against the wall.

"Faith, did Giles tell you why he wanted Spike and I to be told about what was going on?"

"Sure. He said that you were both champions and that we would need your help. You know, same old story. World is ending, apocalypse, blah, blah, blah. He also said that you had a direct line to the Powers That Be."

"Not anymore." Connor's eyes narrowed. "Not since Cordelia."

"And Giles knows that Cordy was dead. I don't know what direct line that would be…"

"Kira." Spike, who had been lounging on the floor at Chandra's feet, sat up suddenly. "That would explain why the Darkness was looking for her."

"No, Giles knew where Kira was so I don't think he was talking about her but it does concern me that the Darkness seemed a little eager to get it's hands on her. Chandra, did Kira ever display any special abilities, being able to see things, get visions, anything?" Angel started pacing again until Connor cleared his throat.

"Angel, Kira doesn't have any powers. D'Hoffryn had not unbound her at all. I wouldn't let him." Chandra thought for a minute. "There were times I wondered how she knew certain things but I just chalked it up to being so advanced for her age. I mean, she came out of babyhood as a slayer. Her great great grandfather is the master of the vengeance demons and he would never keep secrets from her. I just assumed that whatever she knew or did was because of that."

"Chandra, when you all arrived in Dublin, Giles was really concerned about Kira." Faith looked like she was just remembering something. "Willow said that he went into full Scooby research mode for weeks. She said that he told her he was trying to see if any slayer on record had ever been called at Kira's age. I never did ask him what he found out but I can guess that Kira is the only one."

"So we still don't know what he meant about Spike and I having the direct line to the Powers That Be." Angel leaned back against the wall again and folded his arms.

"I wish that Lorne would come back," Chandra said. "He knew more about the Powers than any of us. But he told me he was done. Basically, he said 'Love you kiddo but please don't darken my door again.' I can't say that I blame him. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of all of this either." Angel cocked his head at her.

"How did you know that? That Lorne knew so much about the Powers That Be?" She tapped her head.

"Telepathic, remember? I love Lorne but heaven help us if he ever goes to work for the CIA or FBI. His mind is an open book. I didn't even have to concentrate to get his whole life's story. I remember something about an Oracle…and a Conduit…but it was twelve years ago and my minds a little fuzzy on that part, plus Hallie, Anya, Belice and I had been doing tequila shots that night like they were going out of style. I had a hangover that lasted two days."

"Well, the Oracles are dead. They were killed years ago, not that long after I left Sunnydale and moved to LA. Wolfram and Hart did it. As to the Conduit, I went there once when Cordelia's visions were almost killing her. Cordy was in a coma and I tried to convince the Powers to take the visions back and let her live."

"So you know where this conduit place is then." Spike looked up, his forehead furrowed in thought. Chandra put her hand on his shoulder.

"You don't think that the Powers let the Darkness out, do you? You think the Illyria did it when she tried to return to the Deeper Well." Spike turned and looked at her.

"I've been thinking on that since Giles gave us the news that the well collapsed around the time Illyria was heading back there. Illyria told us that the Old One's bound the Darkness in it's power and buried it in the Deeper Well. It only makes sense that with the well destroyed this thing would be free to roam the bloody earth."

"Chandra, I have to ask, why do you have to touch Spike to read him but you could read Lorne so easily?" Connor had been watching her, fascinated, since he arrived. She could tell that he was slightly attracted to her. His mind was not as clear as most humans. It was a jumbled mess, like a couple of dozen different jigsaw puzzles had been dumped in a pile and a strung out crack head tried to put them together. She was amazed that he was even able to function in the world.

"Well, humans and some demons are very easy to read." She smiled as Connor blushed and looked away, a slight grin on his face. "Vengeance demons, I can read no problem, mainly because I am one by blood. Demons with telepathic ability, like Lorne, very very easy to read. I learn a lot about them that I really don't want to know. Vampires, not so much. They have slightly thicker skulls." She laughed as both Angel and Spike snapped their heads around to look at her. "Physical contact makes it easier to see. Of course, if they or anyone, is in a highly emotional state, I can hear what they are thinking without even wanting to." Angel frowned.

"When the Darkness was here earlier, could you read it?" Chandra's eyes widened.

"I don't know. I was asleep. I heard voices and then a crash that finally woke me up. I don't remember seeing or hearing anything before that." She frowned. "I know that I have had read minds before in my sleep so it can be done and the way Spike described the attack, I should have heard everything going on in his head but there was total silence." Chandra sat up suddenly. "The only other time that I ever had a complete and utter dead spot was in Dublin. I could never read Giles, Willow, Faith, Buffy, anyone. I chalked it up to their supernatural ability, that they were just naturally able to block me but it just hit me. I could read Buffy the other night. I can read Faith now, and girl, by the way we need to talk later." Faith glanced at Angel and then got up to go look out the window. "What I mean is, it's possible that the Darkness throws up this dead spot that makes it impossible for me to see anything." She gasped. "That means that the Darkness is there, with Giles and everyone right now. That could be the reason Giles' information is wrong, why I didn't know everyone lied to me about Spike, oh man, it explains so much!" She got to her feet and went to get her phone.

"Who are you calling?" asked Spike.

"Willow. Giles may not want to talk to me but I can get Willow to listen."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Willow didn't answer her phone. Neither did Giles or Xander. Chandra had Faith try Buffy and then Dawn. Buffy didn't answer her phone and Dawn said that Buffy was still in Ireland and that she hadn't heard from Willow or Giles for a week. She was getting worried but Andrew was in Dublin now and said everything was fine.

"Whoa, when did Andrew decide to go to Ireland?" asked Chandra. "That little putz has been living it up in Rome for so long now…why did he leave? And why didn't he take Dawn?" She met Faith's eyes and they both nodded.

"We need to get back there," they said simultaneously. All of a sudden, both slayers were picked up and thrown to opposite sides of the room. They both remained suspended against the walls as if held there by invisible hands.

"I told you I would meet your Chandra soon Spike." The voice was his own and was through the whole room. "And I told you that I could break your neck Faith." The voice was Buffy's now. The Darkness was still invisible.

"Show yourself you bloody coward!" Spike yelled as he ran to pull Chandra down. He flew backwards as if he had hit a brick wall. The same happened to Angel and Connor who had ran to help Faith.

"You don't know who you're dealing with, do you Chandra?" Buffy's voice now taunted her. Chandra fought against the force pinning her to the wall before unclenching her fists. White light burst from her palms as she yelled "Enough!" Both Faith and Chandra collapsed to the floor.

"You bitch." Buffy's voice was more subdued now but still as menacing. "You think that you will win but one by one, you will all die." The malevolent entity left the room. Chandra stood tall and faced the group of stunned faces that stared at her.

"Now I know we have to get back to Dublin. There's something or someone there that it doesn't want us to find."

**A/N Wow this is a lot harder than I thought. Sorry it has been so long since I posted but I have re-written this particular chapter three times now. I'm finally happy with this direction. Hope that you are too! Please review & let me know. **


	13. Slayer Stories and Darkness

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

**Also, a little disclaimer for those who may live in Ireland. I have never been, though I desperately want to. Therefore, anything that is in here about Ireland has come from internet research and/or my own imagination. Please remember that this is fiction and I am completely un-worldly. Thanks.**

Chapter 13-Slayer Stories and Darkness

Spike looked up in shock.

"Where the bloody hell are we?"

"My apartment in Dublin." Chandra said, walking over to the window to shut the blinds.

"But _how_ did we get here?" Faith asked looking dazed. Connor was sitting on the floor and looked a bit sick. Angel was a surprised as Spike.

"How did you do that? We weren't even close to each other." Chandra shrugged and went over to the small kitchen.

"That thing fucking pissed me off." She opened up the cabinets, searching until she found a bottle of tequila. "Now, I need something to take the edge off."

"Well you got a hold of your powers pretty damn quick." Faith put her hand to her head. "Next time you decide to get pissed off and teleport an entire room of people, a little heads up would be great." Chandra poured a shot and Faith snatched it off the counter for herself. Chandra glared at her, found another glass and poured her own. She did three shots before she finally felt calm enough to breathe again.

"Feeling better there love?" Spike eyed her warily. Chandra looked at him and had a sudden urge to attack him, rip his clothes off and fuck him right here in the middle of the room, other people watching be damned. Instead, she closed her eyes, got her breathing under control and then walked back into the living room. She looked down at Connor who looked a little green.

"You okay there junior?" He nodded.

"I just feel like my guts were pulled out and then jammed back into my body."

"Join the club kid." Faith took another tequila shot and then put the cap back on the bottle. "Chandra, is this the bottle we bought three months ago?"

Chandra smiled. "When we took out that mess of vamps at that strip club on Leeson Street?" She laughed. "Yes this would be the celebratory bottle." Spike sat down on the couch and put his feet on the table.

"Oh I have got to hear this." Chandra shrugged.

"It was no big deal. This club owner sought us out. He knew who we were because his brother's a warlock. Anyway, this group of vamps was terrorizing his club. They were killing his girls and were threatening him and his family if he attempted to close down or refuse to hire replacements. Faith, Janelle, Maggie and I all went in undercover as dancers and took out the whole group of them." Angel, Connor and Spike all looked from Faith to Chandra and Chandra knew they were trying to picture the scene.

"Wait a minute," Connor asked. "If you were posing as dancers, how did you dust the vamps?" Chandra grinned at him, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Wooden stilettos do the trick every time." Chandra laughed.

"Lord, remember how pissed Giles was that we did that? He was in Italy at the time wasn't he?" Faith nodded.

"I think so. That was when Andrew called him and told him that there were stirrings of something big on the horizon." Faith frowned. "It was when he got back that he told us about this new evil that the Powers had unleashed. Buffy had introduced him to that guy she met in Africa."

Chandra shook her head. "I wasn't included in that conversation. I didn't learn about any of this until you told me right before I flew out to L.A." She thought for a minute. "Do you think that Andrew is somehow connected to the Darkness?" Faith shrugged.

"From what I understand, he did the First's bidding in Sunnydale. Of course, he was all better and properly remorseful when I got there." Faith looked to Spike.

"You were around Andrew when he was the First's little puppet." He shook his head.

"Not really. I was kind of the First's lackey when that little git came back into town. When Buffy caught him trying to open the Hellmouth, the Bringers broke into the house and dragged me out. They used my blood to open the Hellmouth and brought out the Turok-Han_" he stopped when Chandra gasped. "What is it love?"

"I met Andrew twice. I could never read him." Faith frowned.

"But Andrew never spent a lot of time here. He was always in Rome."

"I know Faith but it doesn't change the fact that I could never read him. God, I am so stupid! I had all the answers right in front of me the whole time and I never saw it. He had to have been working with The Darkness. He was always so secretive, never telling Giles what he was doing." Faith frowned.

"No, Chandra, someone would have known. Giles or Willow…"

"Don't have the power to sense what I am," Andrew finished as he appeared behind them. He threw Chandra into the kitchen, against the cabinets and turned to Faith.

"Oh, Faith. You're just too trusting, aren't you."

Faith swung at him but her fists passed through Andrew like he wasn't there. He laughed.

"Andrew learned a new trick Faithy." He grabbed her by the neck and pulled her close to him. "I'm the Darkness." It released her and quickly backhanded Faith, sending her flying through the window to the street below. The Darkness, still as Andrew, turned to face Chandra as she got quickly to her feet.

"Chandra, I should have taken you out a long time ago. I never thought that you would ever get over your whole 'I want to be a demon oh but I want to be a human' whining," it mocked her as it walked in front of her. When Angel and Spike both went to move between the Darkness and Chandra, it flicked it's hand and sent both vampires backwards, passing through the sunlight shining through the now broken window. Both vampires backed up as the Darkness held it's hand towards the window, tearing down the broken blinds, causing a wall of sunlight to appear between the vampires and Chandra. Both champions looked on helplessly as Chandra squared off to fight the Darkness alone. Suddenly, Connor sprung up from the floor and jumped on the Andrew figure. Everyone watched in shock as he attempted to break it's neck but the Darkness only reached around, grabbed Connor and flipped him over on the floor. It then kicked him hard enough to send him crashing into the ceiling. Connor fell back to the floor, covered in blood and drywall dust. He didn't move.

"Connor!" Angel started across the room but Spike stopped him.

"You can't help him if you're a pile of ash Angel." Spike turned back to focus on Chandra. "C'mon love. You can do this," he muttered under his breath. "If Connor can hurt it, so can you." Chandra heard him and grabbed a butcher knife from the counter. She lunged at the Darkness, bringing the knife down n a slashing motion across it's body. She made contact and drew black, foul smelling blood. The Darkness howled and lunged at Chandra again, knocking the knife from her hand. She blocked the next punch and kicked hard with her foot, making contact with the creature's chest. She sent it sprawling, grabbed the knife and dove at it again. With all the force that she could muster, she stabbed the Darkness through the chest. The Darkness, still as Andrew, laughed as blood poured from it's wounds. Then, it morphed into Kira. Chandra gasped and flew back as her daughter's face appeared beneath her.

"Mommy, why are you hurting me?" It asked. Chandra couldn't breathe, couldn't move.

"It's not real love! That's not our daughter!" Spike yelled at her. "Get up!" Chandra slowly got to her feet, staring at the image of her daughter, bloody with a butcher knife in her chest, as it slowly rose.

"You may have won this round bitch," it said with Kira's baby voice. "But you can't ever destroy me. Not even the Old One's could. What makes you think that you are so special?"

"Because she's of my blood." D'Hoffryn was suddenly at her side. He clamped down on her arm. She felt the energy flow from his hand into her body. "Use it Daughter! Now!" She focused on the Darkness, still as Kira, as it twisted her beautiful, babyish features into a snarl. She held up both hands and fire flew from her palms. The Darkness screamed and then disappeared leaving a scorch mark and the bloody knife on the floor. Chandra turned to D'Hoffryn and sobbed into his chest.

"Grandfather! She's dead!" She looked up at him, the accusation all over her face. "How could you let her die? You were supposed to protect her!" He caught her fists as she started to beat on him.

"Daughter, Kira is fine. She is alive. She is the one who sent me here. She said that you needed me." Chandra shook her head.

"How did the Darkness mimic her then? It can only take the form of dead people." D'Hoffryn shook his head.

"No Daughter. You think that the Darkness is limited to the powers of the First. The First Evil was a part of the Darkness, just as the Old Ones are as well. All demons are spawn of the Darkness and are the only ones who can hurt it. You, Daughter, are one of the few creatures in this dimension who can bind this power and lock it away."

"That's a bloody wealth of information you have there old man," Spike said, frowning. "A lot of this information would have been helpful the other day."

"I didn't know the other day Vampire." D'Hoffryn cast him a sidelong glance before focusing back on Chandra. "Kira told me just a little while ago." Chandra frowned.

"Kira? How?"

"Because, Daughter, my Kira is a Seer. She has told me everything about the Darkness. She has seen everything and sent me here to help you now. You needed my help today. You have not killed the Darkness but you have made it rethink it's strategy. It knew that you could harm it but it did not think that you would learn that fact so quickly." D'Hoffryn looked behind him at Connor, who was starting to come around. "Another half breed. Interesting." He looked back at Chandra, smiled and touched her face lovingly. "I am keeping Kira safe. I promise you. She has asked me to tell you that she will be joining you shortly. She also said that you go to Willow. Tell her that you have the key to binding the Darkness and that she needs to invoke the spirits of the Old Ones."

"Chandra how do you know that this is really D'Hoffryn?" Angel folded his arms and glared at the demon. "This could be another trick."

"It's no trick Angel. I can read him. He is the first I have been able to hear since_"

"Since right before I got tossed out a window and ran into Red here?" Faith came staggering back into the apartment, followed by a wide eyed Willow.

"Daughter, I must go back to Kira. If she has another vision I will return." He smiled at her. "You have all the power you need to stay safe." With that, he teleported out of the apartment.

Faith collapsed on the couch. Her head wound from the other night had reopened, her lip and nose were both bloody and she had glass cuts on both arms.

"Love, how about making it so we can cross the room again?" Spike looked at the broken window and back to her. She ran to her bedroom, snatched the dark comforter off of her bed and came back into the living room. Connor, who was now back on his feet, helped her cover the window. The room became instantly dark. Willow looked at the hole in the ceiling, the burn mark on the floor and the bloody knife.

"Ok, you have my attention. Mind filling me in on what's going on here?"

"Willow where's Andrew?" Angel walked past her to Connor who brushed him off.

"Dad I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me."

Willow looked confused. "Andrew? Angel, he's in Rome, with Dawn."

"Wrong Red. I talked to Dawn earlier and she told me that Andrew has been here in Dublin for awhile and just now the Darkness was here in full on nerd glory, showing off what it can do." Faith came out of the bathroom with a washcloth and was wiping at the blood on her face. "Dawn also said that she hadn't heard from you or Giles in a week." Willow frowned.

"Buffy's talked to Dawn. Dawn wanted to come up here but Buffy convinced her to stay in Italy. I even talked to Dawn when we got back the other night with Buffy. And, besides, she was the one who called us to tell us that Buffy was on her way to L.A." Willow looked from Angel to Faith and then to Chandra. "What's going on? And how did you guys get here."

"My girl here is a teleporter now," Spike said, walking over to stand beside Chandra. "She's got her full on demonic powers now, thanks to your pal D'Hoffryn." He raised his eyebrow upon seeing Willow's surprised expression. "Giles didn't tell you? Angel told him the other night right after it happened." Willow shook her head.

"Giles didn't say anything and that is definitely something we would have discussed. He'll be happy to hear that though. I've been out of it for a few days. We lost some slayers in Albania to The Darkness." She looked to Chandra, whose face registered a combination of shock and relief. "Yeah Chandra. Giles was going to call you when he got Buffy all settled and try to talk you into going to D'Hoffryn to accept your demonic heritage. He said it would prove useful shortly." Willow looked around as Spike, Angel and Chandra all exchanged a look. "Seriously what am I missing?'

Angel answered her. "I talked to Giles last night, or I should say I talked to someone who claimed to be Giles. He was very upset, refused to talk to Chandra…"

"It was later that night that the Darkness attacked me," said Spike. "It knew about Chandra because you told it about her. That's why it didn't want to talk to her. It knew she'd realize it wasn't Giles."

"Then that probably means I didn't talk to Dawn. God damn, it's everywhere." Faith winced as she pushed the washcloth against her forehead to stop the bleeding. Connor sat next to her.

"Why was I able to attack it and you weren't?" Faith shrugged.

"D'Hoffryn said that only demons could attack the Darkness," said Chandra, her brow furrowed as she remembered. "Connor, you, Kira and I are all half demon…."

"We're vampires, we're demons" said Angel, motioning to Spike. "We can't attack it."

"But you were turned. Vampires aren't true demons. You weren't born with demonic blood in your veins. Connor, Kira and I were all born part demon. That means that we carry a part of the Darkness in ourselves." She stepped away from Spike and began to pace back and forth, chewing slightly on her thumbnail before looking at her manicure, thinking better of it and put her hands behind her back.

"The Darkness didn't want me to know that I could attack it. That's why it didn't want me there when it went after you." She looked at Spike briefly and then resumed her pacing. "That's why it wasn't corporeal in your apartment when it attacked Faith and I. I doubt that it would have allowed me to attack it here but Connor surprised it. It has been keeping us from talking to Giles, Willow, Dawn…" she looked at Willow. "Did Xander say he talked to Angel?"

"And called him a cocksucking bastard? Yeah, that was definitely Xander." Chandra shrugged.

"Worth a shot. Anyway, my point is that it hasn't wanted us all to get together and D'Hoffryn has finally clued me in as to why. Kira saw that we needed to invoke the spirits of the Old Ones. Willow, you are the only witch powerful enough to do that but we need to get everyone together, in the same room. Go get Dawn and bring her here. See if you can find Andrew. We need to find out what he's up to. We'll meet at Giles' in the morning." Willow started to protest but Chandra silenced her.

"Please Wil. Please, just pass the word. I even want Buffy there. As much as I owe her a major ass kicking, we need to be on the same team." Willow nodded.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll come right back here."

"Pass the word, in person, that phones are unreliable. We have no idea who's on the other end of the line."

"Gotcha." Willow turned to leave the apartment and paused when she got to the door. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Chandra and Spike, who had walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I am really happy that you guys are back together. I think Buffy will be too, when she gets over being hurt." She raised her hand to wave and then shut the door behind her.

Chandra leaned back against Spike, completely drained. He kissed the top of her head.

"What do we do now love? Just wait until the Scoobys can be rounded up?" She nodded.

"That's all we can do at this point. I don't think that the Darkness will try again tonight. We need to rest. I think tomorrow will be a long day." She turned to face the three behind her. Angel was looking at Faith's wounds and helping her get the dried blood off of her face. Connor had peeked behind the comforter to see the sun going down. "I have two extra rooms and the couch. There are plenty of blankets in Kira's room. Make yourselves at home. I don't have any blood though. I don't usually entertain vampires." Angel smiled.

"Thanks. I think I'll go out soon. I remember a butcher here in the city from when we were here a few years ago." Faith looked over at him.

"Mind if I come with you? I'm too jazzed up to sleep yet."

"I'll go with you too Dad." He glanced at Chandra and Spike and blushed. "I've…umm…never seen…I mean I've never been to…."

"In other words, looks like you have the place all to yourselves for a little while." Faith stood up and stretched. "Use it wisely. I still have my key so I'll let the boys back in."

After they left the apartment, Chandra turned and kissed Spike. At the same time, she started tugging at his shirt. She pulled away and looked at him with a slightly wicked smile.

"If you want those pants saved you better take them off yourself." She turned and walked slowly back to her bedroom, shedding clothes down the hallway. Spike paused for a minute, staring after her before he followed her.

When they were in her room he shut the door behind them. Chandra walked up to him and started kissing his chest, working her way up his neck to his ear, which she playfully bit. Growling softly he picked her up and tossed her on the bed. She propped herself up on her elbows and beckoned him over with her finger. He was on her in an instant, his hands running up her thighs, her hips, her breasts. Just as he was about to enter her, she stopped him and pushed him over onto his back.

"My turn to be in charge." She straddled him and took him into her fully. As she rode him, he brought his hands to her hips but she grabbed them and leaned forward, pressing them back against the bed. She continued to ride him, picking up speed as she leaned down to kiss his neck, his jaw and finally his mouth. That was when she let go of his hands, which he used to immediately flip her over. Without missing a beat, he whispered into her ear.

"Two can play that game love." She didn't protest, ran her nails lightly up his back, arched her neck and sighed. She brought one leg up, running her toe lightly up the length of his leg before wrapping her leg around his waist. She couldn't get enough of him nor he of her.

Finally, after hours of loving him, she felt the familiar rush of pleasure course through her body. She could feel it intensify as she focused on Spike. He was close, holding out only for her. She brought her hips up to meet his, finally giving over fully to her orgasm. He followed immediately and they lay together, still connected, legs intertwined. He took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers and brought the other hand up to trace the outline of her lips.

"I do love you Chandra. You do know that." His eyes never left hers.

"I do know and I love you too William." She could sense his relief. "I've never said that to you, have I?" He shook his head.

"No but better late than never." He kissed her and moved to lie next to her.

"You better get some sleep love. You have a big day tomorrow." She grimaced.

"I know. I get to deal with the Darkness and Buffy." She laughed and put her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she settled into what was rapidly becoming her favorite spot. "When I think about it though, I'd rather face the Darkness again."

**A/N Another long one. I kind of felt I owed it after the last two shorter ones. Next chapter: Buffy & Chandra! Last time they met, Buffy stabbed Chandra. How will she react with her powers bound and Chandra emerging as the leader**** with Spike at her side? Hee Hee. I haven't decided yet. Good night all! **


	14. Rematch

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

**Chapter 14-Rematch**

They met at Giles' home the next day. Willow had brought Dawn back from Italy. They had found Andrew dead in the bathroom of his apartment, his tongue cut out, both eyes removed, in the process of trying to sew his eye sockets shut. He had been dead at least a week. In his room they found his journal which detailed his journey into madness by the Darkness. He described how he would visit Ireland to spy and disrupt Chandra's telepathy. His last entry said only.

_"My master says I am now worthy. I go to join my brethren at my master's side."_

"He was always a bloody crackpot," said Spike after listening to Willows description. Dawn was pale and still shaking. "You alright Little Bit?" She nodded.

"I just don't ever want to see anything like that again." She looked over at Connor.

"Who are you?" Angel walked over and put his hand on Connor's shoulder.

"Dawn, this is Connor. My son." He frowned. "You remember me talking about him, right?" Dawn nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry." She smiled at Connor who grinned back at her.

"It's turning into a bloody love fest around here." Chandra smacked Spike's arm. "Ow! I'm just saying." She leaned over and whispered in his ear. His eyes lit up, his arm tightened around her and he smiled. "Later, pet. Later." Dawn watched them both, her eyes confused.

"Spike, I thought you and Buffy were together." Spike shook his head.

"We haven't been for some time. Not since she went back to Africa. She should have told you that." Dawn frowned and sat back.

"Geez people! I'm twenty years old! When will you stop treating me like I'm a child and start including me in what's going on?"

"When your old and gray, Dawn. Until then, just get used to it." Xander walked in, his eye patch still in place. Dawn squealed with delight and ran over to hug him.

"Xander! I didn't know you'd be here!" He smiled and kissed her cheek before motioning towards Chandra.

"Our new fearless leader has summoned our presence. I guess it's all hands on deck time again." He glared at both Angel and Spike. "I still don't know why the soul brothers have to be involved."

"Xander, stop being such a prick." Faith moved from her place by the bookcase to stand next to Angel. She glared at Xander. "We need them here, probably more so than we need you here so keep your mouth shut." Xander narrowed his good eye and held up his hands.

"I'm just saying that if you want to help Buffy, it's not going in the right direction for her to see Chandra and Captain Peroxide all lovey dovey."

"This isn't about 'helping Buffy'," said Chandra, rising and stepping towards Xander. "This is about stopping the Darkness. You have no idea what it can do." He pointed to his patch.

"Think I have a pretty good clue there sweetheart." She snorted.

"Please Xander. If the only thing that happens to you is that you lose your other eye, count yourself lucky. The Darkness doesn't need lackeys to do it's dirty work." She walked up to him until she was inches from his face. "It can reach through your chest all by itself, rip your heart out and show it to you before you die. Think about that." She turned around and walked back to Spike, who put his hand on her lower back in an attempt to calm her down. He could feel the tension in the room. When Buffy got here…he looked over at Willow and nodded. She took his cue and clapped her hands together, stepping in the middle of the group.

"Okay then. We just need to be a little patient. We'll go over everything when Giles brings Buffy home." Xander glared at Willow.

"I still can't believe you turned off her slayer abilities. You really didn't need to do that."

"Yeah, Xander, I really did. She was losing it! She stabbed Chandra, was going to try to kill Kira…"

"By the way, where is Kira? Hmmm? Did you leave her with a babysitter, like the time you girls went to play slayer girl strippers? Or did you send her off to turn demon with good old grand pappy?" Angel saw Chandra's eyes flash red and stepped between her and Xander. After seeing what she could do, Angel knew if pushed too far, Xander would be a pile of ash in two seconds.

"Xander, you're running your mouth and, as usual, nothing useful is coming out of it. So why don't you sit down, shut up and do as you're told for a change!" Xander muttered something that sounded like "cocksucking mother fucker" but sat down next to Dawn. Spike glared at him.

"Oh, to answer your question Xander, yes Kira is with D'Hoffryn. By the way, thanks so much for filling me in on the fact that I had a daughter you fucking twit." The tension was sending everyone over the edge and a fight was going to break out with the slightest provocation. Willow looked to Chandra, her eyes dulled back to a dark purple as the red faded from her blue eyes.

"So, is everyone here who they say they are?" Chandra nodded.

"Yes, so far no blocks. Although I wish someone would remind Xander that there is a fucking telepath in the room and I can hear him!" Willow glanced at Faith, her forehead creased in worry. Faith met Willow's gaze and nodded, moving next to her.

"Ok people, that's enough. We need to focus on why we're here. We have another big bad coming and this is what the monsters we fought before have nightmares about. Wolfram and Hart tried to control it and failed. They only succeeded in releasing the First. The Old Ones couldn't kill it and apparently we can't either." She looked around. "That means we need everyone together on this, on the same page. This petty bullshit that has been building and has boiled over the past few days needs to be put to rest." She looked at Spike and Chandra. "Yes, we lied to both of you. It was wrong and we're sorry. Fighting about it won't make it any better so we need to drop it, now." Faith started to say more but the front door closed. Everyone froze as two sets of footsteps made their way up the stairs and down the hall. The door to the library opened and Giles and Buffy stepped inside.

Buffy immediately scanned the room and focused in on Spike and Chandra. Chandra tensed immediately and stood, preparing for the attack. Spike stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He slid his hands down her arms and then encircled them around her waist, a duel attempt to both reassure her and restrain her.

"It's alright love," Spike whispered in her ear before kissing her. He straightened up and focused in on Buffy, his face expressionless. Buffy's eyes narrowed and then she looked over at Angel. Seeing his grim expression she looked over to the couch where Dawn, Connor and Xander sat.

"Dawn, what are you doing here?" Buffy scanned the room, her face furious. "Who said she should be here?" Chandra broke away from Spike's grip and stepped forward.

"I did." Buffy moved towards her. Spike and Angel both made a move to stop them but Faith shook her head.

"Guys, you need to let them get this out." Angel looked to her.

"But you said we needed to_" Faith cut him off.

"Better they get this out now or they'll turn on each other later." Buffy crossed her arms.

"You, Chandra? Who died and appointed you pack leader?" Chandra raised one eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Apparently you did Buffy. I don't see you standing in my spot right now."

"Only because you had to ride in here and steal everything away from me_" Chandra moved towards her.

"What did I steal from you Buffy? Your living love doll? The respect that everyone had for you? Your position of authority that you assumed was yours but that you never really earned? Hmmm? Is that what I stole from you Buffy? How about what you stole from me?" She kept walking slowly towards Buffy. "You deliberately kept Spike away from me, from Kira. You didn't tell him that he even had a daughter. You were terrified that the second he found out about Kira and I that he would leave you and you were even more afraid that he would leave you for me." Chandra stopped inches from Buffy's face. "You never would accept me into the fold. I was open and honest with you. I never hid anything from you not who I was, where I came from or what I could do. I could have, you know. I could have hid everything from you and you never would have been the wiser." Buffy stepped back.

"You have no idea what I did to get where I am. I gave up school, I gave up friends, family, lovers, hell, my life…I will never have a normal life, Chandra. I was chosen for this life and I accepted it. You were nothing but an after thought." Chandra winced.

"Let's get to the heart of the matter, Chandra. You don't belong here. You never have. You and your daughter, you're both abominations. If Willow hadn't cast that spell, you would still be sitting in your cramped little apartment trying to figure out if you wanted to make with the vengeance or not. You owe me for what you have now."

"Oh, gee thank you so much Buffy. How can I ever repay you?" Chandra said, sarcastically. "You are so fucking pathetic. You had to fly halfway around the world to try to keep me away from your lover. No apparent danger on the horizon. Just the fact that you weren't going to be getting any from Spike anymore. Such an emergency babe, not that I blame you." Her blue eyes flashed and an almost evil smile slowly spread across Chandra's face. "I will say that your loss is definitely my gain."

Buffy swung at her. Chandra blocked her and spun her around, twisting Buffy's arm behind her back.

"C'mon Buffy. Is that really the best you've got?"

"Unbind me, bitch, and you'll find out." Buffy swept her leg behind her, knocking Chandra down. Chandra jumped back on her feet, her body staying low in a crouch.

"Willow, let her go." Willow started to protest but both Chandra and Buffy turned on her.

"Just do it!" they said, simultaneously. Willow took a deep breath and quickly said the spell. The light emanated up from Buffy's body as the magical bonds were lifted. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Let's finish this." She swung at Chandra, who immediately blocked her. Chandra retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Buffy's head. Buffy grabbed her leg and tossed Chandra through the air. Chandra flipped around midair and landed on her feet. She immediately jumped into the air and landed right back in front of Buffy, and backhanded her across the room. Buffy rolled over onto all fours and snapped her head around to Chandra, glaring at her. She was on her feet in an instant.

"Enough!" Giles stepped in between both girls, who each stopped their punches at the last minute to keep from hitting him. "Do you both realize that you are grown women fighting over one man? A man, by the way, who has made it perfectly clear who he wants?" He turned to Buffy. "Buffy, I'm sorry but Spike is not yours anymore and you need to let it go."

"Giles, it's not about Spike. It's about this bitch trying to worm her way into our lives." Giles shook his head.

"No Buffy. You weren't completely against Chandra, even knowing she was part demon, until she told you who Kira's father was. So don't try to convince me that this is about anything more than your pride." Giles turned back to Chandra.

"Beating Buffy to a pulp, while satisfying as it may be to you now, will do nothing except drive us all further apart and we cannot allow that to happen. You are as jealous of Buffy as she is of you and you need to get over it and realize that, when it comes to Spike, you have apparently won." He stepped out from in between them. "If however, you feel the need to continue with this foolishness, by all means, beat each other senseless. We'll just sit here and wait for the Darkness to show up and pick us off one by one." Chandra rose to her full height and looked Buffy in the eye. Buffy crossed her arms across her chest.

"Fine, we'll work together. Just this once." She held out her hand to Chandra who took it.

"When this over Buffy, we'll settle everything." Buffy nodded and Chandra let go of her hand, walking back to Spike.

"Ok then, now that we have the unnecessary violence out of the way, let's get on to business shall we?" Giles removed his glasses turned to face the group. "Chandra, you called us all together. Let's here what you have to say." Chandra moved forward, listening carefully. She could hear everyone clearly. Spike had his hand on her back, though she already knew that he was real. Angel, realizing what she was doing, moved over and touched her arm.

_"I'm here Chandra." _She smiled and nodded at him, mouthing "_thank you"._ She took a deep breath.

"First of all, the Powers That Be did not release the Darkness." Giles sat up and opened his mouth to speak but Chandra shook her head. "No Giles, the information you received was wrong. It was planted to throw us off. The Darkness let it slip to Angel the other night when it was pretending to be you."

"What…Angel you called…" Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now I'm very confused."

"Giles, Angel called you to tell you what we discovered when we went back to see what happened to Illyria that night with Wolfram and Hart. We saw Illyria drive the demons to retreat. She approached us and told us to look for her at the Deeper Well in our time as she was drained. Angel called you to tell you we needed to go to the well only his call was intercepted by the Darkness who told him that the Deeper Well collapsed five years ago." Giles raised his hand to interrupt her.

"Wait a minute…you went back in time…how?"

"Oh yeah, Giles, sorry…umm Chandra's a vengeance demon now." Willow spoke up from her place in the corner. "I sort of forgot to tell you, what with Andrew and the whole him being evil again thing."

"Chandra, you went to D'Hoffryn and became a demon? Fully?" Chandra nodded. "Well, this will be helpful. Please continue."

"Thank you Giles. So then the Darkness attacked Spike and Faith. And when I say attacked, I mean attacked as in punching and kicking attacked. It's corporeal but humans and vampires can't touch it." She motioned to Connor and then back to herself. "Connor and I can, and I suspect that Kira can as well." She recounted the attacks in Los Angeles and at her apartment in Dublin, culminating in D'Hoffryn's visit.

"How was a seer right under my nose the whole time and I never knew…" Giles went to his bookshelf and pulled a thick volume down. "When I was researching Kira, I ran across a prophecy written in Brainards Codex. It stated that….oh where was it…ahh here it is…it's all very complicated…it says that the children of the ensouled ones who walk the night will join in the final battle to destroy the ultimate evil. I always took it to mean Connor here but apparently it includes Kira as well. I never counted her because she is so young…but as a seer…well this just opens up a world of possibilities…" Giles sat back from the book and pulled his glasses off again and looked at Chandra. "Do you know what we have to do?"

"Kira said that we have to invoke the spirits of the Old Ones. Do you know how we can do that?" Giles shook his head.

"The texts on the Old Ones were written and lost long ago." Angel's head popped up.

"Wesley had these books at Wolfram and Hart. He could use them to access anything in the locked archives. There was a former watcher there, Sirk. He stole a number of books from the council before it was destroyed. Wes was able to access the information about Illyria when it was killing Fred."

"So you're saying we should just go digging around in the ruins looking for these books that we hope are just laying where we can find them? C'mon mate. You know that won't work." Spike walked over to the window and sat on the sill to have a cigarette.

"Won't work anyway Dad," Connor smiled at Dawn again before turning back to face Angel. "My buddy's cousin was on the clean up crew at Wolfram and Hart. They lost twenty guys on that job before they gave it up."

"What happened to them?" asked Chandra.

"Oh, ripped apart, burned alive, eyes gouged out. Pretty much any bad thing that could be done to a person."

"We could do it." Angel stood up and turned to face Spike. Spike's face looked surprised.

"You ready to head back to hell central and go digging through five years of rubble? Why don't we take Xander? He was some construction thingamajig in another life."

"Hey! I'm not immortal or invincible! Why do I have to go back there?" Xander started nodding and pointed at both Spike and Angel. "You both have been trying for years to kill me and now you finally have your chance."

"Xander, if I wanted you dead you'd be buried already." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Yeah mate. I doubt even my girl could move fast enough to stop me from snapping your neck if I had a mind to." Spike's eyes flicked to Buffy, who flinched when he referred to Chandra.

"Look, we're not going to let anything happen to you. We just need your help figuring out the best way to get into the basement." Spike frowned.

"Basement? Last time I was in the basement there were zombies there. You didn't say anything about going into the basement."

Willow stood up. "Umm you guys?" Neither Spike nor Angel heard her.

"Oh quit being such a whiner Spike. It's not like they can hurt you."

"Um, hey guys I have an idea."

"Oh sure Angel! Last time you and Cordelia went chasing after Lindsey and left me there to deal with the whole bloody lot of them! Do you think I'm going to do that again?"

"Really, guys, you don't need to dig anywhere…"

"Besides, I don't think I should really go messing around in evil basements with the Darkness on the loose. I'll probably end up drooling in a corner talking to dead things again."

"And how is that different from your normal state?"

"I resent that! After everything I've done to help you…"

"Done to annoy me is more like it."

"Oh look who's talking! Mr "Oh I've got a soul my world's all dark and dreary."

Connor leaned over to Dawn. "Is it usually like this when you all get together?" Dawn nodded.

"Pretty much. If you wait long enough, one of them might actually try to stake the other and then it gets all awkward."

Spike and Angel continued to argue over Willows attempts to speak until Faith whistled. The room fell silent.

"Hey champions. Can it for a minute! Red's got an idea."

"We don't need to dig. We just need a summoning spell. We'll just teleport to L.A. perform the ritual and get the books." She grinned. "It'll be easy."

**A/N Ok, this chapter could go on for ten pages if I don't stop here. Reviews, people, reviews!!! **


	15. Spirit Guide

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

**Chapter 15-Spirit Guide**

It was dark when Willow, Chandra, Spike and Angel teleported to the sidewalk in front of Wolfram and Hart. The neighborhood was nearly deserted, as Chandra remembered it when she first stepped off the bus. She looked down the street where she knew Lorne's club was and hoped he was well. While she would keep to his wish to stay away, if anything bad was coming, she was going to sing her heart out and hope he got the hell out of dodge. To her left, Willow stood ready.

"Ok, let's get this going." She looked to Chandra. "Just stay close by me. If anything comes out of there, it will come right over here."

"Don't worry Red. We'll stop any beasties that come crawling out of the woodwork." Spike and Angel stood in front, bracing for a fight.

Willow took a deep breath and began.

"_Audite meus lacuna , audite meus vox , phasmatis ex ceterus pars. Succurro mihi reperio quis quondam eram lost. Addo is hic alieno sumptus."_

The ground began to shake and the four saw movement in the center of the ruined building.

"_Reperio libri ut gero specialis vox of lupus ram quod pectus pectoris es lost_

_licentia is locus , reverto volo ostendo sum vestri procul meus pars_

Chandra looked at Willow. Her eyes had gone black, her hair a violent red. She could feel the power flowing off of her. It was intoxicating and making it hard to focus. Chandra turned her head back to focus on the former site of Wolfram and Hart. She could feel the evil aura flowing from the site.

"It's coming." She said, her voice just above a whisper. She closed her eyes and saw…

"Get ready!" Chandra shouted. "They're coming!"

"What's coming?" Spike shouted back. The rumbling from the building was so loud. Chandra could see the heat rising, like hell itself was emerging from the ruins of Wolfram and Hart.

"You know all those demons you fought five years ago?" Angel and Spike both turned to look at her. "They're back for a repeat performance." Just then, a fountain of flames shot up to the sky.

………………………………………………………………………….

Giles sat at the table in his library and looked at the stacks of books open before him.

"If Willow is unable to retrieve those books, I don't know what we're going to do. We can't invoke the spirits of the Old Ones if we don't even have their names."

"We know Illyria." Connor walked back to the table with a thick volume from Reinharts Spirit Companion. "She was able to repel the demons before. I think that should be enough."

"No, Connor, we need all of them." Dawn was flipping through a book on demonic mythology and legend. "There is a story here, a kind of Grimm's Fairy Tales for the boogeyman. It's about the original demons and how they battled their only enemy. It took five of the original demons to send their enemy into eternal slumber." She passed the book over to Giles who began reading the story in earnest. "If it took five to make it sleep for a long time, then what if we can invoke the spirits of all of the Old Ones? Maybe we can actually kill it." Giles shook his head.

"No Dawn. That is far too dangerous. There are hundreds of the Old Ones entombed in the Deeper Well. Angel told me years ago about what this Illyria did to his friend Miss Burkle. If we release the essence of an Old One and it escapes our control, we don't know what it would do."

"I know what would happen." Everyone turned at the sound of the small voice by the door. Kira stood in the open doorway. "If they all get away, everyone will die."

………………………………………………………………………………

"Don't stop Willow!" Angel yelled to her. Over the sound of the fire geyser pouring out of the ground they could here the screams and growls of the demons coming up from hell.

"They have a hold of the books!" Willow yelled. "I can't make them move!" Chandra looked over and really saw Willow. Her hair was turning from red to black. The veins in her face became more prominent. It was obvious she was straining to keep a lock on her goal but she was fading. Chandra reached over and grabbed her hand.

Immediately, Chandra felt the connection. Willow was draining her power and adding to her own, which she then sent out into the firestorm. Chandra felt her human half growing weak. She knew what she had to do. She took a deep breath and changed fully into a vengeance demon. She felt her face change and she felt her human side fading into the back of her consciousness. She struggled to force the demon side, the side she was always trying to keep in check, to surge forward. At the taste of this surge in power and energy, Willow's spell increased in force. Chandra felt herself merging with Willow. She could see out of Willow's eyes just as well as her own. She could feel her own skin through Willow's hand. Her right hand dropped down to her waist and rose slowly. She could feel the energy ball forming in her palm. An instant later, a stream of white hot energy was thrown at the base of the fire geyser.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

"Kira dear, what are you_" Giles started towards her but Faith stopped him.

"Wait Giles. We can't be sure that's Kira without Chandra here." Faith walked over to Kira, who looked up at her expectantly. Faith reached out cautiously and touched Kira's head. She felt the soft, brown curls and relaxed. "Hey midget."

"Where's Momma, Aunt Faith?" Kira looked around the room. "And Daddy…Angel…Willow…" Her eyes got wide. "They went back to that bad place didn't they?" Faith, Connor and Giles all looked at her sharply.

"Dear, what do you mean 'the bad place'? If you mean Wolfram and Hart, yes they_" Giles stopped when Kira's eyes got wide and she gasped. "What is it Kira?"

"They're going to wake it up." She closed her eyes for a moment and, when they opened, Connor saw that they were white, just like Cordelia's had been when she had her visions.

"Willow will say the spell to retrieve the lost texts but the Wolf, Ram, and Hart won't let them go. They will return to fight. A light flashes…" She blinked and her eyes cleared, worry creasing her small face. "Why didn't they wait for me? I told Grandfather to tell you that I was coming back." Her eyes pooled with tears. Faith picked her up to soothe her.

"Hey now midget. It'll be alright. Don't cry." Faith turned to Giles. "Is there any way we can find out if they're ok?" Giles shook his head.

"Not until they return." He walked over to Kira and touched her cheek. She smiled up at him, her face streaked with tears.

"Grandfather didn't want me to come back but the Powers told me it was time."

"Kira, how long have you had these visions?" Giles sat back on the arm of the couch. Dawn had turned to listen and Connor had walked up behind Dawn and placed his hand on her shoulder. Buffy was still staring out the window watching the street below come to life. Xander stood next to her, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"I've always had them but I didn't know what they were until Grandfather told me. Mommy always thought I was just smart because I knew things, like when I found the Christmas presents under the stairs at the old house. But these new pictures are different, scary. They just started after Mommy told me to stay with Grandfather." Her face fell and fresh tears started. "It's like bad dreams when I'm awake." Xander snorted.

"Who knew a kid with a vengeance demon for a granddad would have bad dreams." Giles glared at him.

"She is still just a little girl, Xander." He turned back to Kira. "How do you know that it's the Powers That Be that are sending you these visions?"

"Because the lady told me." Giles frowned.

"What lady told you?"

"The pretty lady with the brown hair and the nice smile. She told me that she had the visions when she lived here and that she would help me use them the right way." Faith, Giles and Connor all exchanged a look. Connor straightened up.

"Did the lady tell you her name?" Kira nodded.

"She said her name was Cordelia but I could call her Cordy."

……………………………………………………………………………………

"Spike! Look at Willow and Chandra!" Angel was standing to the side, watching both the witch and the demon while keeping focused on the increasing screams of the damned rising from the pit. Spike looked behind him and saw Willow and Chandra, standing side by side, hands clasped. Willows red hair was dark, her eyes black. Chandra's blond hair was almost as black as her eyes. Both women stood, not speaking facing the geyser of fire shooting to the sky, their free hands open and white light was streaming from their palms into the base of the geyser.

"Do you think they've got it under control or should we stop it?" Spike yelled across to Angel. Angel shook his head.

"I don't know. Whatever they're doing seems to be keeping the doorway from opening up completely." As he spoke the geyser of fire began to recede, the screams became fainter. With a _woosh, _the fire was sucked back down into the pit and a single book flew out of the ruins to land at Willow's feet. The two vampires turned to look at both Willow and Chandra.

"There, see, no problem whatsoever," said Willow.

"Yeah," said Chandra, her face changing back to human. "Easy as pie."

With that, both witch and slayer collapsed to the ground.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Everyone was silent. Kira looked around worried.

"Did I say something wrong?" Giles smiled and patted her back.

"No dear. You did nothing wrong. Has Cordelia said anything to you about her life here? When she had the visions?" Kira nodded.

"She said that she had a lot of friends and they worked together helping the helpless." Her little voice stumbled over the words that she had obviously memorized. "She said something bad happened to her and the Powers That Be made her a spirit guide to help new seers use their visions." Her little mouth twisted into a frown. "But I don't know what that means."

Connor walked over and knelt in front of her. He took her hands in his.

"You are very lucky to know this lady. Cordy was very special to all of us here. We loved her very much. Just do what Cordy tells you to do and you'll be fine." Kira nodded.

Faith turned around to Buffy.

"Are you going to sit over there and pout or are you going to get your ass in gear and start working with us?" Buffy didn't look away from the window. "Buffy! Seriously! This is childish!" Buffy still didn't move. Faith walked over to her, grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Her eyes were red and puffy and her face streaked with tears.

"Please don't tell me you're crying over Spike_" Buffy shook her head. "Then what is it?"

"My mom. I miss her. And I was just thinking how disappointed in me she would be right now. I used people-Spike especially-when I didn't care anything about them. Then, when he died, I realized that I did love him but he was gone. And what did I do when he came back? I didn't tell him. I just continued to use him whenever he was around. I know that I hurt him and I didn't care. He was there when I needed him and I was never there when he needed me. That's why I hate-hated-Chandra so much. I knew that he would be happy with her, with Kira. I just didn't want to let him go." She looked up at Faith. "Now I guess that I have to."

"What about Angel?" Faith asked, hesitantly. Buffy shook her head.

"We can't ever be together, not really. He will always be special to me but I gave up on that dream years ago." She wiped her eyes and smiled. "So, why don't you tell me what I need to do? Research? Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it." Giles walked over to Buffy and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Buffy, as happy as I am that you are back, so to speak, I'm afraid we really don't have anything right now until Willow gets back." He patted her shoulder and then went back to the table and his books. Dawn got up and hugged Buffy tightly.

"I miss Mom too. I just wish that you would talk to me instead of treating me like a little kid." She backed away and grinned. "I'll be old enough next month to go out to the bar, have a beer with my sister, raise some hell…" Buffy smiled and then laughed at Dawn's expression.

"Over my dead body. You'll always be my kid sister. Just don't make the same mistakes that I made, ok? If you find someone that you love, tell them. And show them." She kissed Dawn's cheek and went over by Giles. Xander was sitting across from him, reading from a very thick, very old book.

"What are you reading there Xander? I've never seen you this engrossed in a book…ever." He looked up at her, his good eye had the old impish glint she hadn't seen in a long time.

"You know, I never really got into research. Oh I talked a good game but it was never my thing. My thing was to be sarcastic and obnoxious and frankly, I'm good at it. But you know, now that I've gotten older and set in my ways, I've come to realize that research is a good thing, a noble endeavor, one in which I now strive to do my best. Therefore, I have found this thick, ancient book and will read it until my other eye falls out." He smiled at her and turned the page. He sat back suddenly, a look of shock on his face. "Whoa. Giles, take a look at this." He handed the book across the table.

………………………………………………………………….

"Angel, how do you think we're going to be able to get them back? We can't just sit out here until they regain their strength." Spike and Angel stood apart from Willow and Chandra, who had come around but were still a little dazed.

"I don't know. It looks like whatever lid they slammed down on Wolfram and Hart is staying shut so I think we're ok there." He looked around the neighborhood. "If they don't come around soon, we'll just hole up in one of the buildings here for the day. This part of town never has really recovered. Anyway, I'm sure they'll be ok soon. I mean, Willow is a pretty powerful witch and Chandra is a pretty powerful demon…"

"And that was some pretty powerful juice that was stopping all of hell from breaking out. That's not exactly something you just jump up and go dancing after."

"You don't even like dancing." Spike snorted.

"You know what I mean." He watched, concerned as first Willow then Chandra got to their feet.

"Feeling better?" Chandra shook her head to clear it and then nodded.

"I need a margarita, a pedicure and a good back massage to get over that one."

"I'll take the same but make mine a Piña Colada." Willow bent down and picked up the book. She opened it and found it blank. "Wow, Angel. That was a lot of work for a blank book."

"It's a template. You can ask for anything and it will show it. Here." Angel took the book from Willow. "Oldest scrolls, English translation." He opened the book and the words began to appear. He flipped to the picture of Illyria and showed it to Willow.

"Good. It still works." He looked up as everyone stared at him. "Well, there was always the chance that it was tied to the office." Chandra glared at him.

"Willow, remind me lay him out when I get my strength back."

……………………………………………………………………………………

Giles looked through the passage that Xander had discovered.

"Yes…yes…oh this is definitely helpful…excellent find Xander…" Giles continued to read, oblivious to the four people starting at him expectantly.

"So Giles…are you going to share or are you just going to say that something is helpful and keep us out of the loop?" Buffy leaned across the table.

"Sorry. This is an invocation ritual for the Original Monarchs, who it appears are the Old Ones as described by their followers. It doesn't give the names of these monarchs but it does describe the ritual in detail." Giles looked up at Kira.

"Kira dear, can you see anything about this ritual." She frowned and shook her head.

"I don't want to see any more scary pictures."

"I know dear but we need you to reach out and see if you can find anything at all on this." Kira frowned and closed her eyes. After a moment, she shook her head, her brown curls falling in her face.

"No. I don't see anything." Then she stiffened. Her eyes went white. The voice that came out of Kira's mouth was not her own. "The Crystal Sphere of Dioyenne…Goban's Hammer…the blood of the demon heirs…you need to get them Giles. You need to find them…Willow has the book…they will be back soon…." Kira's eyes cleared and she fainted. Connor, who was standing behind her chair, caught her before she fell.

"It's not fair that she has to carry this burden. She's not much more than a baby." He carried her over to the couch. Dawn ran for a cool washcloth while everyone else crowded around, worried.

"Hey guys, give her some air." Connor motioned for everyone to back up. "She's fine. She's probably just exhausted." He brushed the hair off her face, looked up at Faith and Buffy and smiled. "That was Cordelia's voice. She was here. She's helping us."

They turned then as Willow, Chandra, Spike and Angel appeared. Chandra and Spike saw Kira lying on the couch and ran to her.

"What happened to her?" Chandra turned on Buffy and her eyes narrowed. "What did you do to her?" She rose and started after Buffy but Connor grabbed her arm.

"Buffy didn't' do this. Kira had a vision and then she passed out. She's alright." Chandra wrenched her arm out of Connor's grip, glared at Buffy and turned back to her daughter, who was moaning softly. Spike put his hand on Kira's cheek.

"It's ok baby. We're home." Kira opened her eyes and looked first at Spike, then Chandra.

"Mommy…Daddy…I don't want to see the pictures any more." Spike raised his head and looked at Giles.

"What's she talking about Giles?" Giles took off his glasses and began to explain.

**A/N Reviews please!! We're almost there and I know that I write A LOT and I thank you for reading this long. Please show your appreciation, or utter disgust, and leave a little love, or hate. **


	16. The Calm Before the Storm

**A/N: As usual, I own nothing. The majority of the characters are Joss Whedon's own creation. The newbies, however, are products of my own overactive imagination.**

**Chapter 16-Calm before the storm**

"Faith, I don't think they'll forgive me." Buffy said after watching Chandra and Spike take Kira out of the room. Kira had sat quietly in Spike's lap as he sang softly to her. She had fallen asleep with her arms still wrapped tightly around his neck. He had picked her up and Giles told them she could have the smaller guest bedroom just down the hall. Chandra left the room first, walking past Buffy without even a glance. Spike followed with Kira and had slowed as he walked past Buffy. He had looked at her, his face hard, before kissing Kira's forehead and continuing out of the room.

"Buffy, they have every right to be pissed off but they'll forgive you." Faith turned and looked at the closed door. "Well, Spike probably will. Chandra, well, maybe not as quickly. I mean, you did try to kill her."

"If I had known that Spike would take to Kira so fast_"

"What did you expect Buffy? That's his daughter." Angel interrupted. "And it's not just Spike and Chandra you need to worry about. What you did…god Buffy…I don't even know you anymore." He stood in front of her, his arms crossed and looked down at her. "I just want to know why. Why did you do it? If you thought you were protecting Spike…Buffy that's no different than what Wesley did when Connor was a baby except you weren't trying to protect Kira and Spike can take care of himself. That wasn't it at all though, was it? You were just protecting yourself." He shook his head and walked away.

"Angel_" Buffy started to speak but Xander jumped in.

"You all are so quick to judge her but not one of you, not one of us, had to listen to her when she told us to keep quiet. Giles, Faith, Willow…you, _we_, all made the choice to go along with Buffy's instructions because we thought that there was a chance that she was right. We didn't know if Chandra could be trusted and Kira…well…no one expected Kira." He walked up to Angel. "You want to know why no one told you any of this? Why Buffy couldn't share this information with you? It's because no one fully trusted you after the whole head of Evil Incorporated's LA branch thing. Even coming back after that night you 'fought the forces of darkness'," Xander's voice was dripping with sarcasm with this last. "You made the decision to go work for the other side. Whatever good you did that year, it didn't outweigh the bad that you know happened right under your nose. So don't you judge her now, especially after she finally let you back into her life after everything you did." Xander walked back over to Buffy and stood over her protectively just as Spike and Chandra came back into the room.

"What did we miss?" Spike scanned the room. "Looks like we walked into the middle of something. Care to share with the rest of the class?" Buffy stood and approached them. Chandra tensed and Spike put his hand on her back.

"Easy love. I don't think she's coming over for a brawl."

"Chandra_" Buffy hesitated for a moment and then continued. "Chandra, I'm sorry that I lied to you about Spike. I was selfish and…well, there's really no other explanation than that." She looked to Spike. "I don't even know what to say to you. I'm sorry just doesn't seem to cut it. I used you, I lied to you, I treated you like shit but I wouldn't let you leave me either. That wasn't fair. Keeping you away from Kira was just icing on the cake." Buffy looked from Spike's softened expression to Chandra's face, still prepared for a fight but not as hostile as it was a moment ago. "I realize that this doesn't make up for anything but I want us to all work together, really together, as a team. Chandra, I know you are a very strong fighter and I would feel much better knowing that you were on my side." She turned to walk away when Chandra stopped her.

"Buffy, let me just be clear. I don't ever want to discuss this again. It's done, it's over, and, quite frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. I'm glad that you feel properly remorseful for what you've done. That being said, you and I won't be exchanging BFF charm necklaces anytime soon." Chandra smiled slightly. "If we can agree to never bring this up EVER again, we'll work on it." Buffy smiled back at her and returned to the couch by Dawn.

……………………………………………………………………………………….

They went back to the books for the rest of the day. Giles found the template fascinating and spent the majority of the time reading through the old texts from the Watcher's council and the oldest scrolls, finding out everything he could about the Old Ones. So far, he had identified two in addition to Illyria. Xander and Buffy were reading through the book he had found earlier which detailed out the ritual of invoking the spirits of the Original Monarchs. They had found one reference to The Crystal Sphere of Dioyenne but it didn't appear to be found in this dimension. Dawn had her copy of demonic mythology and legend open in her lap but seemed far more interested in talking to Connor. Willow had went downstairs to Giles' room to call Kennedy, while Faith had gone with Angel to pick up the blood supply from Chandra's apartment. It had been decided that everyone would stay at Giles' from now on. No more being spread out and alone. Chandra was sitting on the floor with Xander's laptop, scanning the web for anything that could be useful. Spike was sitting against the wall, playing solitaire.

"Spike, perhaps it would be helpful if you would join us." Giles said, glaring at him over his glasses.

"And perhaps it would be helpful if you all would get out of the sodding library. Research is not my bag. Show me something I can hit, I'll be more than happy to join that party." Giles rolled his eyes and went back to his book.

"I'm serious Giles. You're going to have everyone so mentally drained-and Xander can't lose much-that they're all going to pass out from sheer exhaustion when they all go up against this thing. We all need to get out, do a little demon hunting, relax and then you can all come back and hole up with the dusty old books." Spike stood up. "I for one am going to go grab a pint and see what little beasties need killing. Anyone care to join me, I'll be at The Temple Bar Pub enjoying a Guiness." He picked up his coat and started out the door. He turned and looked at Chandra. "You coming love?" Chandra looked up from the computer to Spike, then to Giles.

"Spike, I'll be there as soon as I find this…"

"Fine." Spike turned back to the door and then looked back over his shoulder. "A few hours with these killjoys and you're making with the books. Hmmm…what a pity." He left the room and slammed the door behind him.

"Remind me again what you see in him," asked Xander.

"He's only mildly annoyed. I'll make it up to him later." Chandra went back to the computer. Giles looked at her over his glasses.

"Chandra, do you think it's wise to let him go running off doing lord knows what when the Darkness is around?"

"Are you saying I should go after to him and play babysitter?"

"No I'm saying that you should go because the Darkness went after him once and we don't know if it will attack again…maybe even try to work him like the First did."

"So I should go play babysitter." Giles sighed and closed his eyes as if he was in great pain.

"Essentially yes." Chandra closed the computer, stood and stretched.

"You all will watch Kira, right?" Connor looked up at her and smiled.

"Dawn and I will listen for her, Chandra. Don't worry." Chandra looked at Xander and Buffy.

"You guys staying or…" she raised her eyebrow, not finishing the question. Buffy looked from Xander to Chandra.

"I think I'll stay here. Help Giles out. I've been so out of it lately, I have a little make-up work to do." She smiled at Chandra. "Thanks for the invite though." Xander merely glanced up and shook his head.

"Ok, I'll see you later then. Oh, when Faith and Angel get back, tell them where we are. I know Faith could probably stand to let off a little steam." Chandra walked out the door. After shutting the door, she turned to go down the stairs and jumped when she found Spike standing right in front of her.

"Spike, I thought you already left." He smiled at her and reached his hand around behind her neck, pulling her towards him.

She felt nothing.

It wasn't Spike.

"No." She knocked his arm away and landed a kick square in his chest. The Darkness flew backwards, sliding across the floor into the hallway wall.

"What's the matter love? Not happy to see me?" It got back to it's feet.

"Connor! I need you!" The Darkness laughed.

"That's right, call the cavalry. Won't do you a bit of good will it? I've already beaten the whelp once." Connor, Buffy, Giles and Xander came out of the library. They looked from Chandra to the Darkness, who still appeared as Spike.

"Chandra, what's wrong?" Connor asked.

"That's not Spike, Connor." Connor's eyes narrowed.

"The Darkness." Just then, Willow came up the stairs.

"Hey guys what's going…" she stopped as she saw Chandra's face. The Darkness turned to look at her. Willow was confused for a moment as she saw Spike's face. Then she realized what was going on.

"Hello Witch."

"_Unclean spirit, leave my sight._" She threw her hand up and a ball of light flew from her palm, through the Darkness and into Xander who flew back into the library. The Darkness looked behind it then back at Willow.

"Pity. He would have been fun to play with." It turned back to Chandra. "Until we meet again love." It disappeared. Everyone ran to the library to check on Xander.

"Oh my god, I killed him!" Willow dropped to her knees by her fallen friend. "Giles! Do something!" Giles started forward just as Xander sat up.

"Oh my god and OWWWWW!" Willow threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Owww…energy ball…straight to chest…little sore…" Willow let him go.

"Oh Xander, I am so sorry! I didn't know that would happen." Xander shook his head and his eyes refocused.

"I'm ok Will. I just got the world's biggest static electricity shock but I'm ok. I think…I don't think I'm bleeding…."

"No Xander, you're fine." Buffy kneeled beside him and checked his chest and back. "You're shirt is fried but you're ok." She turned to Chandra and Giles. "That should have killed him. What happened?"

"It's possible that when the ball passed through the Darkness' form, it slowed it down, like a bullet fired in water," said Giles. "It didn't hit Xander with enough force to kill him, just stun him a bit."

"A bit? Getting hit with a truck would stun me 'a bit'. That was like getting hit with thirty tasers all set to kill." Willow's forehead wrinkled up.

"Not easing the whole guilt thing there Xander."

"Sorry Willow." He looked up at Chandra. "You know, never thought I would ever agree with old blondie bear but a beer sounds great right about now."

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Spike was sitting at the bar. He'd already finished off two pints and was cursing his vampire constitution before ordering another. They just didn't have decent Guiness in America. The bartender had set the fresh beer in front of him when he felt hands on his shoulders and warm breath on his neck.

"Hey handsome. You come here often?"

"No, just visiting."

"Are you here visiting alone or are you with someone special?"

"My girl decided studying was more fun than me." He took a drink and set the glass down. He felt lips press against his neck and one of the hands left his shoulder and slid slowly down his back.

"That wasn't very smart of her." The hand slid around his waist, under his leather coat and across his stomach. "Why would she choose something that boring over you?" The hand slid down over his pants and squeezed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I can't imagine what she could find more interesting than this." Spike took another drink.

"Well, I guess she did." The hand slid back up and undid the top button of his pants before slowly sliding down inside them.

"Hmmm…it seems she's been very, very bad…you should definitely do something about that…" He grabbed her hand before it could go any further, spun around and took Chandra's face in his hands, kissing her roughly. He pulled back and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Exactly what did you have in mind for your punishment pet?" She smiled.

"If I tell you now, I'm sure we will end up breaking a number of laws against public nudity." She kissed him again, biting his lower lip before pulling away. She looked at him, her blue eyes twinkling just as they always did when she was playing with him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her closer and leaned down to kiss her when a throat cleared. He looked up to see Xander, Willow, Giles and Buffy.

"Oh, I see you brought the whole lot of them." He smirked. "Well this is fun." Xander crossed his arms and glared at Spike.

"I thought a beer might go down good after getting an energy ball thrown at my chest." Spike frowned then looked to Willow who had guilt plastered all over her face. Then he laughed.

"Finally got tired of his lip I take it? Well, I think that deserves a round. Bartender, whatever my redheaded girl wants she may have." Willow chewed her lip.

"Powers gold label, neat." The bartender nodded and went to pour her drink. Spike raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"Spend a little time in here do we?" Willow shrugged.

"Kennedy and I come in here a bit and she has a thing for Irish whiskey."

"Hello? Is anyone even going to mention what just happened?" Xander waved at everyone, a disgusted look on his face. "Are you even going to ask why I had an energy ball thrown at my chest Spike?" Spike picked up his beer, toasted Willow and then looked at Xander.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't care." Xander snorted in disgust and Buffy stepped forward.

"The Darkness paid us a little visit." Spike frowned and turned his head sharply to Chandra. Buffy quickly continued. "It looked like you. It approached Chandra but she knew that it wasn't you right away. Then Willow came up the stairs and tried a spell but it went through the Darkness and into Xander. Then it disappeared. Everyone's alright and Dawn and Connor stayed with Kira." Spike looked to Buffy and then back to Chandra, who nodded in agreement.

"They'll be ok. And since Connor can actually defend himself against the Darkness, I feel a little better." She smiled. "So, I hear that they have good beer here." Spike and Giles both laughed.

"Chandra, dear, saying that Guiness is a 'good beer' is like saying Manchester United had an ok season." Giles leaned over the bar and placed his order.

"Ok, you guys are going all British on me again. You know I don't follow soccer, Giles." Giles sighed.

"It's football, Chandra. On this side of the pond we call it football, none of this 'soccer' nonsense." She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She looked up as Faith and Angel walked in.

"Well it's starting to feel like old home week then," Spike said, sarcastically. "About bloody time you two show up. Missed out on all the important events." Angel looked at Giles.

"What happened?" Giles set his beer down and rubbed his temples.

"Why is it that you all always look to me to tell you what happened?" He motioned around the group. "You do realize that there are other people here? Grown adults who are perfectly capable of explaining things to you. Ask them for a change. I'm off the clock." He took his beer and sat at a table to listen to the band that was playing that night.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you guys when we get back to Giles'."

Chandra walked over and took Faith aside, away from Buffy's hearing.

"So are we going to talk about what happened with Angel or what?" Faith looked away.

"There's nothing to talk about. We slept together that night after we got back from Wolfram and Hart. It was no big thing."

"It's a big thing to Angel. He is seriously conflicted about you right now. I can tell that he has always cared about you, always taken care of you…and I know that you have done the same for him."

"Angel's my boy. We've got each other's back. It's been like that since…wow…like eight years I think. He got me back on track and I owe him so much for that. But, what we did, it was a reaction out of stress and the fighting and the almost being crushed by a falling building…" she smiled a slightly wicked smile at Chandra. "You can't tell me that you weren't all revved up and ready to go when you went back to Spike's that night. You going to stand there and try to convince me that you didn't go at it like wild animals the second you got in the door?"

"No we didn't. It was about a half hour later…but that's not the point Faith. You have been my best friend since I got here. I can tell that you want Angel but you're afraid of two things. One, you don't want him to be perfectly happy…" Faith rolled her eyes and gave Chandra her best _well, duh_ expression. "And two, you don't want to rock the boat with Buffy. While I understand and appreciate the first, you shouldn't let Buffy get in the way of being with Angel, if that's who you belong with." She started to go on but Faith cut her off.

"Look, Chandra, when we finish off this new threat, you can go all Dr Phil and counsel us on our relationship. Until then, please let it go." Chandra pursed her lips and nodded, relenting.

"C'mon girl. I'll buy you a beer, we can hang out and then we can go check up on Rory to see if the vamps came back." Chandra laughed.

"Oh Angel and Spike would LOVE to see that one played out again."

…………………………………………………………………………………………

It was three in the morning when the group finally started back to Giles's house. It was quiet, absolutely no demonic activity. Faith and Chandra had checked in with Rory at the lap dance club and he reported that it had been quiet but told them if they ever needed a job, he was always hiring.

They walked in the front door and it struck Giles as strange as to how quiet it was. They walked up the stairs and saw that the door to the library was closed. Chandra immediately felt something was wrong and both Spike and Angel stopped short.

"Do you smell that mate?" Spike looked over at Angel. Angel nodded.

"Blood." They rushed to open the door and found it empty but completely vandalized. The books were strewn everywhere, Xander's laptop was smashed. The couch was ripped open and blood was splattered all over the floor.

"Dawn? Dawn?" Buffy ran from the room, calling for her sister. Xander quickly followed behind her. Chandra could hear them opening doors, calling for Dawn and for Connor. She was frozen in place and felt her blood turn to ice.

"Spike…" he turned and his face had the same fear and anguish that she felt. They both ran for Kira's room. They opened the door and found that it had been tossed. The mattress had been pulled off of the bed and thrown aside, the closet door off the hinges.

And no sign of Kira.

**A/N You know how I love the cliffhangers….**


	17. Hello and Goodbye

**A/N: Joss Whedon owns title & original characters. The newbies & new scenarios, however, are products of my own overactive and sometimes twisted imagination.**

**Chapter 17-Hello and Goodbye**

"Kira!" Chandra turned and pushed past Spike, running down the hallway. "Kira, baby! It's Momma! Please come out!" She ran from room to room, not realizing that she was crying until she collapsed at the top of the stairs. This time, it was Giles who helped her to her feet and walked her downstairs into the sitting room. Giles, who had become her mentor, her trainer, her father. She cried like a baby while he rocked her and shushed her. She could hear voices upstairs. Angel…Buffy…Willow…she didn't hear Spike. She was completely numb but could still sense the terror and anger in the air around her. She heard crashing upstairs. Someone was tearing something apart.

"It's Spike, Chandra. Angel is trying to keep him from tearing out into the night to hunt for her. I think he's destroying what's left of that bedroom." She sat up and looked towards the doorway and called to Faith who came running in.

"Hey, Chandra, it's going to be ok. We're going to find her." Before Chandra could speak, Faith turned as the yelling upstairs intensified.

"Get out of my way Buffy! You can't keep me up here!"

"Spike we don't know what we're up against…"

"And I said I don't bloody care! That's my daughter…" Then Angel's voice.

"Spike, my son's missing too…"

"Your son is a grown man! Kira's just a baby, Angel!"

"Spike," Buffy's voice again, shaky but calm. "Kira's a slayer. She's got more skill than some of the older girls. Plus she's a seer. I'm sure she's hiding…"

"Buffy, if she were here, she would have come out by now. She would know that we were looking for her."

"Spike, you need to go downstairs and be with Chandra now. Wrecking the entire house is not going to find her any faster." Chandra could hear Buffy's thoughts. They were filled with worry over Dawn and even genuine concern for Kira's well being. She could also hear Buffy repeating over and over in her mind: _If you love him, let him go. He belongs with Chandra._

Faith turned as she heard her name called. She told Chandra she would be right back and went into the hallway with Xander and Willow.

"Have you found anything?" Xander shook his head. He was pale. Willow's forehead was creased with worry.

"Well shit guys. We left three people alone in this house, two who are pretty damn strong. Where the hell did they go?" Willow looked over Faith's shoulder as Spike came downstairs, followed by Angel and Buffy. He walked into the sitting room, paused for a moment and then collapsed to his knees in front of Chandra, burying his face in her lap and clinging desperately to her. She stroked his head and began talking quietly to him as the tears started down her face again. Giles kissed her head and joined the group in the hall.

"I feel terrible about this. I should have suspected when the Darkness made an appearance earlier that is was merely checking to see where we were and what we were doing. I never should have left Connor and Dawn alone to watch Kira."

"It's not your fault Giles." Angel put his arm around Buffy's waist as Faith did a double take and then bit her lip. "Faith and I were here earlier and we didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. Connor called downstairs and told us where you were. I asked if everything was ok and he said yes." He closed his eyes and his forehead furrowed in pain. "I hope to god that was Connor and that we weren't tricked. I should be able to recognize my own son." Giles put his hand on Angel's shoulder.

"More than likely, that was Connor. The Darkness knew that both you and Faith would be returning. I doubt that it would have attacked until it knew that it wouldn't be interrupted." Xander snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his head. He walked into the sitting room.

"Chandra! Call D'Hoffryn." Chandra and Spike both looked at Xander.

"Xander, if you think that D'Hoffryn had anything to do with this…" her voice held a note of warning. Xander shook his head.

"No, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that he can help us find her. I'm sure that he'd rip dimensions apart looking for Kira." Spike frowned.

"He's right. If anyone would have the connections to find Kira, D'Hoffryn would." He stood and helped Chandra to her feet. "Get your amulet, love, and give grand-dad a call." Chandra fled upstairs to the room she and Spike shared with everyone right on her heels. She dug through the top drawer of the dresser for the leather bag that held the amulet but couldn't find it.

"I don't understand. It was here this morning when we brought over my stuff." She yanked the drawer out and dumped it on the bed. She threw the drawer aside and began digging through the clothes on the bed, still coming up empty handed. Willow and Faith both started emptying out the other drawers, finding nothing. Suddenly, Faith caught a glimpse of something on the floor.

"Is this it?" She picked up the empty leather bag. Chandra nodded.

"It's gone. Dammit. How would they know to take that?"

"I don't think that the Darkness took your amulet, Chandra. Judging by the way they left Kira's room and the library, they wouldn't have just reached into your dresser to grab a necklace." Giles appeared deep in thought. "Chandra, does Kira know how to summon D'Hoffryn." She frowned.

"I don't think so…" Angel interrupted her.

"Even if she didn't, that would be something that the Powers would show her if she were in danger. I mean, she would have seen what was going to happen. She probably came in here, grabbed the amulet, summoned D'Hoffryn and he took her to safety. Dawn and Connor might even be with her." He looked hopeful for the first time since arriving back home.

"I need the amulet. I know that there is another way to summon him but it's complicated and no one can ever remember it." Willow's eyes lit up.

"I have one! At least, I think I still do…I mean I'm sure it's here and not in Rio but…one second…" she ran out of Chandra's room and raced down the hall to her old room. They heard the closet door open and boxes being moved. Chandra heard Willow mutter a brief summoning spell and then she was running back into the room, her face lit with excitement.

"I found it!" She held up the amulet, identical to Chandra's. "Now we can call him."

"Let's go downstairs where there is a bit more room." Giles led the way into the sitting room. Chandra and Willow stood in the center, holding the amulet between them. They recited the spell together.

_"Beatumsit in nominee D'Hoffrynis. Fiat hoc spatium porta ad mundum Arashmaharris."_

D'Hoffryn appeared and walked over to Chandra, his face grim.

"You left Kira alone with a human and the half breed?"

"Grandfather, where is she?"

"She is safe. With me. With her family." Chandra felt the color drain from her face. Spike started forward, his face twisting in anger but Angel and Buffy stopped him.

"_I _am her family. _We_ are her family." D'Hoffryn shook his head. "Grandfather you cannot keep my daughter away from me!" The rage was surging forward.

"Daughter, calm yourself. Harming me will only make it impossible for you to ever see Kira again. It was against my better judgment to allow her to return at all. Now, the first opportunity you have, you leave her in incompetent hands...to be with your vampire." He glared at Spike. Spike vamped, broke free from Angel and Buffy and ran at D'Hoffryn.

Chandra saw it happen in slow motion. Spike lunging at D'Hoffryn. D'Hoffryn turning and raising his hand. She felt her face change and the demon surge forward. She dove in front of Spike, knocking him out of the way just as D'Hoffryn's flames shot at him. Chandra felt the heat pass inches over her shoulder and heard Willow's spell as she blocked the rest of the group. Chandra threw Spike against the wall and then snapped her head back to face D'Hoffryn.

Chandra stood to face her grandfather, her face still that of a vengeance demon. He looked slightly bemused.

"I am surprised at you Daughter. That you would risk your life to save his."

"He is Kira's father, D'Hoffryn. His blood flows in her veins, more so than yours because she has not accepted your gift." She walked towards him, not breaking eye contact.

"You will return my daughter to me, now. And you will tell us what you know as to what happened to Dawn and Connor."

"I am impressed, Daughter, that you are comfortable enough in your abilities to confront me in this manner. Fine. Kira will be returned to you. I will leave her in your care but know that I will not interfere again. I will not return to this dimension until the outcome of the battle has been decided." He raised his hand and both Kira and Dawn appeared. Kira ran to her mother and jumped into her arms. Buffy ran to Dawn, who appeared to be in shock.

"D'Hoffryn, where is Connor?" She could hear Angel's racing emotions, his thoughts. "Answer me Grandfather! We do not have time for games! Where is Connor!" Chandra yelled.

"When the Darkness' priests appeared, the half breed stayed to fight them while Kira and the human hid in your room. Kira found my amulet and called me. She insisted I bring the human with her. I do not know what happened to the half breed." He looked at Chandra, his face hard but his eyes were sad.

"Daughter, you were the first of my bloodline that has ever accepted their heritage. Your mother, your grandmother…each one turned their back on me. You were ten and you accepted who I was and who you are. It is your destiny. However, I cannot continue to come to your aid if you insist on living with and protecting these lower beings. After this fight, you will have a choice to make. Your family and your birthright or the humans and your vampire. You cannot have both. And if your choice today harms my Kira, the punishment will be swift and severe. Keep that in mind as you make your decision." With that, D'Hoffryn disappeared. Chandra looked up, her demonic face reverting to human, her eyes still hard.

"Chandra," Willow said, hesitantly. "He's wrong. Your destiny does not have to be one with vengeance. If that was the case, I might still be evil." She offered a tentative smile.

"Momma I want to see Daddy." Kira squirmed to get down. Rather than let her go, Chandra held her closer.

"That was very brave of you to call D'Hoffryn and take Dawn with you." Kira's little face was serious.

"Cordy said I had to hide. She wanted me to take Dawn and Connor but Connor wouldn't leave. He fought the bad men and yelled at me and Dawn to hide. The bad men chased us. Then, I saw the necklace and Cordy said to call Grandfather." She looked worried. "I'm sorry I went in your dresser without permission." Chandra laughed and kissed her.

"It's ok baby. You're not in trouble. Did you see the bad men?" She shook her head.

"They had on robes with hoods." She finally wiggled out of Chandra's embrace and walked over to Spike, who picked her up and hugged her tight.

Dawn was pale and shaky. Buffy helped her to the couch and Xander ran to get her a glass of water. "They were the Bringers Buffy. They're back." She took the glass of water and continued. "I don't know where they came from. They were just here. Six of them. Kira grabbed my hand and we ran. I screamed for Connor and he told us to go, to run. One of the Bringers had a knife…it brought it down…I heard Connor yell…" Dawn broke off as she started hyperventilating. "Where…where is he?" Buffy looked at Angel.

"Connor's missing Dawn. There's blood in the library." Dawn clapped her hand over her mouth and ran into the kitchen where they could hear her dry heaving.

Faith walked over to Angel and cautiously placed her hand on his shoulder. "Connor's a tough kid Angel. He survived Quor-Toth. He can survive whatever the Bringers throw his way." Angel looked over his shoulder at her, smiled and then looked away.

"Yeah, I know. I just hope that he can hold on until we can find him…"

"Angel…." Everyone turned to face Kira. Her eyes were white. "He's at the Deeper Well. They are trying to revive the Old Ones. They need his blood for the ritual but they need something else…." Kira blinked and appeared trying to fight the vision. "No Cordy! I don't want to see it…" then the voice that came out of her mouth was not her own. "They need Connor's blood…Kira's blood…Chandra's blood…Dawn's blood…" Buffy snapped her head up. "The blood of a vampire spawn, the blood of an innocent, the blood of a demon, the blood of that which once was…they have The Crystal Sphere of Dioyenne…they still need Goban's Hammer. You must get it, Angel, before they come back." Kira's eyes cleared and she fell to the floor, crying.

"Make them stop Daddy! Please make them stop!" Spike picked her up.

"Giles, we have to stop this. She can't be forced to carry this any longer. She doesn't need to see people coming to kill her." Giles shook his head.

"Spike, I trained Kira myself, watched her grow and love her almost as much as you do but we can't stop the visions from occurring. Right now, they are the only link to the Powers That Be and without them we will be blind."

"Why does it have to be Kira? Why couldn't the Powers have put these visions into my head, or Chandra's or…or…anyone here? Why Kira?"

"Because she was born a seer Spike." Everyone turned to see Cordelia standing in the doorway. Angel's jaw dropped.

"Does anyone else see…?"

"Right there with you man," answered Xander.

Cordelia smiled and shook her head. "I can't keep you guys out of trouble, can I?" Angel opened his mouth to speak but Cordy placed her finger to her lips.

"I'm not supposed to be here but, since when am I one for obeying the rules?" She laughed. "You needed to know that I am here to help Kira, and all of you, survive and save the world. Hmmm…who knew I'd still be doing that after I was dead? Rest in peace. Yeah right." She walked over by Kira and that was when everyone saw that she was a spirit, and not corporeal. She looked at Spike.

"Do you think that I would have forced this on a child, William the Bloody idiot? Especially when I know first hand what the visions can do to a person's body, mind and soul? She was already a seer. She would have carried the visions of the Powers when she got much, much older but, circumstances being what they are; the timeline got pushed up a bit. That is why I am here. Kira is too young to fully understand the visions…so I have to help her along…"

"Help her? You think you are helping her! You are terrifying a little girl!" The look Spike gave Cordy made it clear that if she were still alive, he would have killed her.

"Would you rather that someone else guide her through this? Someone who doesn't know you or have a history with everyone here? There's nothing that can be done about this. I repeat: she would have received the visions when she was older anyway. You need a link to the Powers now so she was just promoted early." She looked up and smiled.

"I'm being called back. Just know that I am here and I am helping Kira and I will do my best to not let her see anything she doesn't need to know." With that, Cordy offered one last smile and disappeared.

Angel stared for a moment at the spot where Cordelia had just stood.

"Well, you heard Cordy. We have work to do. They have one of the four that they need. We need to make sure that they don't get anyone or anything else." His face hardened. "And we are going to get my son back."


	18. Proposal

**A/N: Insert standard disclaimer here. **

Chapter 18-Proposal

Kira was drawing quietly in the library with Dawn. Willow had thought that it would be therapeutic for her to draw her visions. So far, she had drawn one of the Bringers grabbing Connor and another of the Deeper Well. She was currently working on one of Connor tied to a chair, blood flowing from different wounds. While Giles found it disturbing, it seemed to be helping Kira focus. She was such a perfectionist when it came to her art and she kept drifting into her visions to add details.

Willow had received a call from Kennedy. Janelle and Maggie had successfully tracked her down in Rio and they had just landed at Dublin Airport. Giles reluctantly handed over the keys to his precious Mini Cooper and she had left to go pick up the girls. She was really anxious to get away from the house and the yelling. Everyone else had watched enviously as she hurriedly left the house.

It had started when Willow, after watching Kira drawing with the utmost detail, suggested Kira draw her visions.

"That way, she can really show us what she's seeing and it might make it easier to process them. She might be more willing to go into her visions_" Spike cut her off.

"No, absolutely not. We are not going to make her see those horrors. It's bad enough that they just pop into her head whenever the bloody powers decide she needs to be terrorized again."

"Spike, she needs to learn how to deal with them or she's going to go crazy," insisted Willow. "I've read up on visions and the powers of seers and a lot of them end up in mental institutions because they never learn to process them." Spike wouldn't budge.

"I said no. I'm not going to put more stress on her by saying 'Ok sweetheart. Can you make that big bad bringer look scary when it rips your lungs out?'"

"Spike that's not what I had planned. She may be able to draw Connor's location out for us, maybe even give us a map of sorts so we can find him." Angel looked up from his book."

"That sounds like a great idea." Spike snorted and frowned.

"You would think that you bloody git. Find another way to get a dig in at me by making my daughter suffer to find your boy."

"That's not what I'm trying to do Spike. You heard what Cordy said. They're going to come back and try to take Kira and Dawn again…and Chandra too. If we can see when they're coming, we can protect them."

"You worry about yours, mate. I'll worry about mine. I can take care of my girls." Angel rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, doing a bang up job there. What were you doing when the Bringers attacked? Oh, that's right. You got bored and had to go down to the pub and down a few brewskis." Spike drew himself up to his full height and glared at Angel.

"If I remember correctly, you were there too. Brought your new little honey down for a little R&R." He glanced at Faith.

"Hey, keep me out of this," she said raising her hands.

"Yes," said Giles, walking over to Kira. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Angel and Spike. "Let's remember that there is a little girl in the room_" Neither vampire listened as Angel continued.

"Ok, Spike. Let's talk about new little honeys. Exactly how many times have you gotten laid in the past few days?" Spike laughed.

"You're just jealous because the only way you can get your jollies off is if you feel real guilty about it later. Don't want you being too happy now do we?" Spike snapped his fingers. "Say, I have an idea. You can play the two of them off the other, right? That way, you can have sex with Buffy and have sex with Faith because you'll feel completely guilty about cheating on each one! It's an absolutely brilliant plan."

Buffy walked up to Spike and punched him in the face, drawing blood. "You are still such a pig Spike." He smirked at her as he wiped the blood from his lip.

"And it still turns you on doesn't it pet?" The words left his mouth on reflex, completely out of habit from years of baiting Buffy. As soon as he said it, he realized his mistake as all heads in the room turned towards Chandra.

She was glaring at Spike. Her blue eyes were narrowed to slits, her hands balled into fists so tight that her nails cut into her palms. Spike knew that she was still jealous of Buffy and he had just given her another reason to be. Chandra turned around and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard it broke off the hinges.

"Can we please try to not destroy my house today?" begged Giles, more under his breath.

"Good one Spike. You've just completely crushed the only girl who probably ever really cared about you." Xander spoke up from his place behind Angel.

"Piss off Xander!" Spike started out the door after her when Angel grabbed his arm.

"Don't you think you've done enough for one day? Just leave her alone for right now." Spike turned and got in Angel's face.

"This doesn't concern you, now does it? Chandra's not one of your exes, one of your bed partners or one of your little groupies. She's mine, always has been, always will be; and she will never be yours, no matter how much you play up the ol' sensitive angle. So sod off!" He yanked his arm out of Angel's grasp and turned back to the door to follow Chandra. Faith made a move to stop him but Giles shook his head.

"Let him go. They're adults thought Lord knows they need to start acting like it. I'm quite sure Chandra is perfectly capable of taking care of herself." Giles walked over to Kira, who looked on the verge of tears.

"It's ok sweetheart. Your mother and father are just a little tensed up at the moment." He smiled at her. "Did you hear Willow talk about drawing what you see when Cordelia shows you something?" Kira nodded. "Is that something you'd like to try?" She hesitated, thinking for a moment.

"But Daddy said no." Giles shook his head slightly.

"Your father won't get mad at you if this is what you want to do. It would help us find Connor. Do you want to do that?" He cringed as he heard Spike pounding on the door to Chandra's room. "Here, why don't you start by drawing the last vision you had, alright?" He handed her a clean piece of paper. Immediately, she began to draw Connor being held captive. Everyone jumped when Willow's phone rang. She had to plug one ear to be able to hear Kennedy over Spike's and Chandra's yelling. She was accusing him of being in love with Buffy, of using her and demanding that he get out of her room. They could hear blows landing and Spike telling her to stop fighting him and to listen.

"Sounds like Spike's getting his ass beat," said Faith.

"And not in a good way," replied Xander. He flinched when he heard what could only have been Chandra's fist connecting with Spike's jaw. "Man, and Chandra accuses Buffy of being a jealous psycho." The sound of glass breaking made everyone jump.

"Oh dear. I hope that wasn't my grandmother's Tiffany lamp. It was one of a kind." Giles closed his eyes, breathed deep and refocused his energy on Kira.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"I said I'm sorry, love!" Spike ducked as Chandra picked up the Tiffany lamp and threw it at him. He barely moved out of the way in time to avoid getting hit in the jaw yet again. As she swung at him again, he grabbed her arm and threw her onto the bed. Chandra whirled around. She was near blind with rage.

"Chandra! I don't want to hurt you! Now you will settle down and listen to me dammit!" She blinked, her eyes refocusing but her anger didn't fade.

"Fine. Talk. Tell me all about how that was just a slip of the tongue_"

"It was_"

"And how Buffy means nothing to you_"

"She doesn't_"

"And how you are so sorry and it will never happen again_"

"I am and it won't_"

"Until the next time that it does." Chandra took a deep breath. "God, what was I thinking? You don't love me. You're still in love with _her._ I never should have dragged Kira into this. Now we have the ultimate evil's disciples hunting us for our blood. I should have just stayed back home in our apartment. I never should have sought out you, or Giles…I should have just left it alone." Spike frowned.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we're leaving. Kira and I. We're going back home." She went to her closet and grabbed her duffle bag. She opened up her dresser and started shoving clothes into her bag. Spike stared for a moment and then grabbed her arm.

"Chandra, you're not going anywhere." She yanked her arm away.

"You can't stop me Spike. Everything has gone to hell for everyone since I found out you were still alive. Maybe Buffy had a point. Everything would have been better if you were still her lapdog and Kira and I were still moving between Ireland and California for summer breaks…"

"Stop it. You don't mean that." Spike's mind was racing. He was watching her pack, unable to move. She was talking about leaving, and taking Kira with her. She was going to disappear. And he was never going to see either of them again. He couldn't let that happen. He grabbed her by the shoulders and hauled her around to face him. She struggled but he wouldn't let go.

"You actually believe that running off will make everything all better? You think that the Bringers won't hunt you down_"

"They won't if we're not in this dimension. D'Hoffryn_"

"D'Hoffryn said that he wasn't coming back here."

"He said he wasn't coming back as long as I stayed with you." Chandra finally met his eyes and then quickly looked away. "If I leave you, he'll be more than happy to take Kira and I back." She jerked away from Spike again but he pulled her to him.

"You stop that kind of thinking, love." He forced her to look at him and put his hand on her cheek. He leaned over and kissed her. She responded at first and then pulled away.

"Don't_"

"Don't what? Tell you that I do love you? Beg you not to go and take my daughter away so I can't ever see her again or you? Please, tell me." He leaned over and kissed her again. "What shouldn't I do?" Chandra tried to pull away but couldn't help but give in as the tears started down her face again. They broke apart and Spike leaned his forehead on hers.

"Don't let me leave," she whispered. "Spike, please, don't let me leave." She clung to him like she was drowning. He kissed her again, harder this time, both hands cupping her face. He pulled back, wiping the tears from her face.

"No more tears pet. William's here." He put the bag on the floor and lay on the bed. She curled up next to him, placing her head on his chest. He held her tight to him, listening as her heart and breathing returned to normal and she finally relaxed in his arms.

"I never wanted this for Kira. I never wanted this for me. I was just going to be a vengeance demon, like Hallie and Anya."

"And they're both dead now."

"I know. Hallie was like my sister. I hated D'Hoffryn for killing her and I hated Anya for making him do it. She shouldn't have gone back to vengeance after she had become human, especially with everything that she had done for centuries. Did she ever tell you about the time_" She lifted her head to look at him and paused when she saw his face. He was staring up at the ceiling, frowning. She slid her hand up his chest, trying to get a read on him.

"Spike, I said I'm not leaving. There is no need to tie me to a chair." He laughed.

"Am I always going to have to control my thoughts around you?" She winked at him and nodded. He gave her a slightly wicked smile. "Fine then, what am I thinking about now?" She closed her eyes and a moan escaped her lips. He was picturing their naked bodies, entwined on the bed.

"Not exactly the most appropriate time lover. Kira's in the next room, we have a bunch of blind monks with knives after us_"

"That" he said, flipping her over onto her back. "is precisely the reason why this is the most appropriate time." He traced her jaw with his finger and frowned slightly. "We don't know how many more opportunities we have left."

"Then lock the door." Spike hurried to lock the door and returned to lie beside Chandra.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Faith was pacing the room. She was getting really jittery with the whole sitting and waiting plan. She wanted to go out, find what needed killing, kill it and get on with her life. She wanted to talk to Angel but he was downstairs with Buffy right now. She heard the car pull around back and knew that Willow was home. Dawn and Xander went downstairs to greet the girls.

"Faith, if you need to smoke you're more than welcome to go outside. I won't pass judgment on something I don't have to watch." Giles barely glanced up from studying Kira's last picture.

"It's not that Giles."

"Then would you kindly explain why you are intent on wearing a hole in my rug? Does everyone simply feel compelled to slam through my house today, breaking things and wearing things out before their time?" Faith stopped pacing. She didn't want to talk about her feelings with Giles. Instead, she walked over and sat by Kira.

"What you drawing there midget?" She asked, taking the picture from the pile in front of Kira. It was a picture of a forest, but the trees were all fallen, as if at a logging site. Rising from the hole in the ground was a Bringer. It carried some kind of jar.

"Kira, where is this?"

"The Deeper Well." She replied. "Connor is in the ground with the others. They're keeping him alive until they have Dawn, Mommy and me because the blood has to be fresh." Faith couldn't help but cringe hearing these words coming from Kira's mouth.

"Are the pictures still scary?" Kira nodded.

"Yes. But I know they won't hurt me as long as they're in my head." Faith looked at Giles who shrugged.

"I've never seen a seven year old with such a grasp on reality."

"I'm almost eight now," Kira said, without looking up. Giles smiled.

"I remember. And we'll have a great big party for you this year." He looked at Faith and she saw it in his eyes, the statement he didn't want to say out loud. _We'll have a great big party for you this year if we're all still alive._

"Hey, it's gotten quiet in Chandra's room. Do you think everything is ok?" Faith asked, turning towards the door.

"Yes, I'm sure that they're talking and working everything out as we speak."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chandra dropped her chin to her chest. Spike's lips and fingers traced along her shoulders and the back of her neck before slowly sliding her bra straps down her arms. His hands moved around to her front to cup her now naked breasts and she leaned her head back, her mouth parted in a silent moan. His lips moved up her neck and she was desperate to get going but, for a change, Spike was taking his time, like he both wanted this to last as well as torture her just a little bit for threatening to leave. She turned to face him and brought her hands to his bare chest. She leaned in and kissed him, enjoying this slow, passionate way of being together. Yes, they had made love before but the foreplay had always been rushed. This slow teasing was making her crazy and she could tell he felt the same but he was restraining himself. Well, if he could do it, so could she.

Her lips reluctantly left his and she slid down his body, blowing cool air down his neck, chest and stomach. She felt him shiver and inhale sharply. When she got to his waist, she kissed him right below his navel and, when he jumped slightly, she knew she had found the spot. She unzipped his pants and pulled them down slowly until he was finally free. She looked up at his face. His eyes were closed, his lips parted. His hands were digging into the sheets as he braced for what was coming. Her tongue slid slowly up the length of him, teasing him. She took him fully into her mouth, sucking gently before releasing him and sliding her body slowly up his. He growled softly and rolled her onto her back.

"You little tease." He kissed her hard, then nipped lightly at her neck. Her heart was pounding and he could feel her pulse racing beneath his lips. _So tempting_ he thought and Chandra gasped with pleasure.

"Knowing that you want to taste my blood again is such a turn on," she whispered. "Does that make me a total deviant?" He laughed, kissing the hollow of her throat.

"Of course it does love. That is one of the things I find incredibly sexy about you." He moved to kiss her breasts, tracing cool circles around her nipples with his tongue. She reached down to entwine her fingers in his hair, pushing him down. He chuckled.

"Aren't we eager? All in good time." He unbuttoned her jeans and she lifted her hips so he could pull them off. He continued to kiss her down her stomach until he reached the top of her thong. Rather than pulling it off immediately, he began kissing the inside of her thighs, coming close to her center but not touching her. He slid his hand down her stomach until his thumb was resting on the bundle of nerves that caused her to gasp and arch her back when he touched her.

"Please…baby…please…." Chandra begged. Spike looked up to meet her gaze. Seeing the fire in her eyes set his burning. In one move he removed her thong and settled down between her legs. He grabbed her hips, holding her to him as she began gasping in pleasure under the flick of his tongue. He looked up.

"Keep it quiet love. Don't want to wake the house now." She bit down on her lip to stifle the scream as her orgasm coursed through her body. He moved back up her body and kissed her before entering her slowly. She moved with his thrusts, pulling her legs back to take him in deeper. He moaned softly against her mouth and she held his mouth against hers as she rolled over on top of him, sitting up to ride him. He kept one hand on the small of her back while the other traced a line from her neck, between her breasts, down her stomach. He knew that she was close again, that she needed one more release. He quickened his pace, as did she. Her forehead furrowed and she bit her lip again as the pleasure coursed up through her body. He felt her tighten around him and finally let go. He pulled himself up to her and they kissed, holding each other close, not wanting to break the physical bond.

"Chandra, I have to ask you this and, well, since there really is no better time…" He reached behind him and opened up the drawer of the nightstand. He fished around blindly for a moment until he found what he was looking for. He sat back up, keeping his hand closed. She stared at it and then looked back up at him. Suddenly, she knew…

"Spike…" He held up one hand.

"Chandra, let me say this, please." He looked down, almost as if he was afraid to look at her. "I love you. I have loved you for over a hundred years, in one way or another. I see no reason why we shouldn't be together, forever." Her eyes widened.

"We are. I feel the same way and, no matter what…"

"I know that but I want to make it official." He opened his hand and in his palm she saw a flash of gold.

"Spike, what is…" he smiled at her, finally meeting her eyes.

"I think you know what this is pet." He picked up her hand and slid the ring on her finger. She looked at him, her face a mask of surprise and fear.

"I'm asking you to be my wife." She was speechless. She tried to draw in breath to answer but she couldn't. He cocked his head to the side and looked at her expectantly. "Well, what do you say? Ready to make your Pratt surname official then?" Her lower lip trembled and her eyes were shining with tears.

"Spike…William…I don't know what to say…" she trailed off.

"Just say yes. That's really the only word that need cross your lips." He kissed her lightly. She held her hand up to look closer at the gold and diamonds that now encircled her finger. She opened her mouth to answer when she felt it. The flash of horror coming from the library. Not imminent danger but close enough that they needed to hurry. Spike caught her change in attention and became concerned.

"What is it?" He asked. She listened quietly for a moment before turning back to kiss him quickly.

"Get dressed. Trouble's coming."

**A/N I know how much you love my cliffies…oh wait…I don't because I'm not getting enough reviews! That can only mean that only that my work is not liked…which leads me to think that I should just finish this myself…I need some love! Ego needs stroking….Once I get another seven reviews, I will post chapter 19. Then you will find out…what's coming…will they save Connor?...oh and will Chandra say yes? Heehee. Stay tuned! **


	19. Vision Link

**A/N: Insert standard disclaimer here. Joss owns everything except that which I do. **

Chapter 19-Vision Link

"What's going on?" Chandra asked, running into the library. Janelle and Maggie ran over to hug her.

"Willow tells us you trashed the apartment," Maggie said, shaking her fire red curls out of her eyes.

"Yeah, you just let ultimate evil kick your butt all over? Girl what were you thinking?" Janelle laughed. She looked over at Willow and Kennedy and winked.

"Please! I'm not the one who ran off to Rio to go on a Kennedy hunting expedition." She turned around as Spike walked slowly through the door, hanging back.

"Oh my, is that him?" Whispered Maggie who, as the most recent addition to the slayer family, had never before seen Spike. "Now I understand why you flew out of here without so much as a fare thee well to go find him." She straightened up and smiled at him, her green eyes lighting up. Chandra elbowed her in the ribs but said nothing.

"Down girl, he's taken," Janelle laughed. She saw Chandra running her thumb on her ring finger, spinning something shiny out of sight. Janelle grabbed her hand.

"Holy shit Chandra!" Everyone turned when they heard Janelle yell.

"Janelle, not now," Chandra hissed. She looked over at Spike. His mouth was tight and he was very tense. He had been watching her try to hide the ring by turning the diamond into her palm. His eyes met hers and she felt icicles drop down her spine as she saw how hard that stare was.

"No seriously!" Janelle turned the ring back around. She looked over at Spike, her ebony face shining with excitement. "You two get back together for not even a week and already you're ready to get with the 'I dos'? When did this happen?"

"Just now," Chandra said, her voice barely over a whisper. She could feel Spike's eyes burning into her back. Everyone crowded around to see what Janelle was so excited about.

"Spike, you and Chandra…are getting married? Are you serious?" asked Angel, dumbfounded.

"Way to go girl!" said Faith hugging her before looking at the ring. "Wow Spike. Where'd you get the cash for the rock?" Chandra was starting to get a little claustrophobic from everyone crowding around her. She was inches away from Spike and wanted to reach out and take his hand, greet everyone and be happy but she couldn't move. She couldn't really see either.. She could hear Willow and Kennedy asking Giles and Angel to move out of the way so they could see. She felt Giles give her a quick kiss on the head and say congratulations to Spike before two arms were thrown around her. Buffy kissed her cheek.

"Congratulations Chandra. This should have happened a long time ago. You two deserve to be together." Chandra hugged Buffy back because it seemed like the proper thing to do. Then, she couldn't hear or feel anything and the room disappeared.

_"Connor. Dear, sweet Connor." The Darkness walked in front of him, it's face cloaked in a hooded robe. "Where are your friends? They should be here by now." Connor looked up. His eye was swollen shut, his lip swollen, dried blood under his nose. His bare chest was covered with burn marks and knife cuts. They had been bleeding him. They needed some his blood for a ritual. _

_"It doesn't matter, Connor. Your friends won't last long against my Bringers. And not even the Slayers will be able to stop Tu-Koth once he is unleashed. Then, I will have the child, the demon and the former key to release the Old Ones, my children, and they will once again rule this world." _

_"Talk all you want. You'll never succeed. Wolfram and Hart, the First, Jasmine…they all tried to rule the world and they're all dead. We took them out. We'll finish you too." A clawed hand shot out from under the Darkness' robes and grabbed his throat._

_"You talk too much boy. If I didn't need your blood to be fresh, I'd drain you now and send your dismembered body to your father one piece at a time." The hand dropped down. "I have the sphere. Once it is drenched in your blood and the blood of your friends, it will be indestructible and only the person wielding Goban's Hammer will be able to control the Old Ones. Once I have that, you are dead. You and all of your little family." It pulled out a long knife and brought it to Connor's chest. "In the meantime, let's see how much blood I can shed before you pass out and end my fun." It brought the knife down across Connor's chest, making short, shallow cuts…_

"Chandra!" Spike shook her shoulders. The room swam back into focus. "What the hell was that?" She braced herself on his arms to keep from falling over. Spike looked over at Angel.

"Do you have Kira, mate? Is she ok?" Angel nodded.

"She's fine Spike. The vision just knocked her out." Angel was cradling her in his arms.

"What happened to her?" Chandra asked, letting go of Spike's arm. She noticed that when she let go, he didn't keep one hand on her like he had before. She had hurt him, and hurt him bad. And she didn't have time right now to fix it. Instead, she walked across the room to Angel.

"She was having a vision, when we were all distracted. I'm sorry Chandra. She was right behind me. I should have been watching her closer."

"The bigger question is what happened to you?" Kennedy asked. "Where the hell did you go? One minute you're standing there all glowy and engaged and the next your eyes rolled back in your head. Spike barely kept you from hitting the floor." Chandra shook her head to clear it.

"I think I saw Kira's vision." She looked over at her daughter. "I had picked up on something earlier. That's why we came back in here when we did." She turned and looked at Spike, who was leaning back against the wall. His arms were folded, his mouth tight, and he was staring at her with a hungry expression that both scared and excited her.

"I saw Connor. The Darkness was torturing him, keeping him alive until…it has the rest of us. It's releasing something…something that it said not even the Slayers could fight." She looked at Giles. "The Darkness called it 'Tu-Koth'. Does that sound familiar?" Giles paused and then went to his bookshelf to where the Watcher diaries were kept. He pulled out a box, and lifted an old manuscript wrapped in cloth.

"This is the first Watcher diary. It contains much of the information on the first few slayers." He unwrapped it slowly and then slapped Xander's hand when he reached to pick up the book.

"This is very delicate Xander. It is also the only copy." Giles opened the book and began gently turning the pages, being careful to not touch the fading ink. He stopped about a quarter of the way in.

"I knew that they name sounded familiar. Tu-Koth was the first vampire found in this dimension." Xander sat back and rubbed his sore hand.

"Wait a minute…then what the hell were the things that we fought back in Sunnydale?" Giles looked at him over the top of his glasses.

"Xander, we never said that the Turok-Han were the first vampires. They were only one of the earliest mutations as the pure demonic blood was diluted by the humans they fed on and turned. Tu-Koth was-is-_the_ vampire."

"What does it look like?" asked Buffy, remembering the Turok-Han. Giles shook his head.

"There is no description of it's appearance, only that it exists. It is mentioned in passing, as if it were a non-issue, something of little importance other than to explain the vampiric origin. If The Darkness is going to summon the Tu-Koth, we honestly have no idea what we're facing."

"When do we ever know what we're facing Giles?" Xander muttered. Giles glared at him but ignored his comment.

"Ok, then it sounds like we're going to need some reinforcements." Buffy stood, retaking her place as leader. "Willow, we need to call back all the Slayers. Bring them all here. We need everyone, even those new ones that we find along the way. The Turok-Han were hard enough to kill with the few of us we had in Sunnydale." Buffy looked to Janelle and Maggie. "You two will need to work on rounding up those nearest to home." Janelle and Maggie nodded and left quickly. Janelle gave Chandra a quick wink and a smile before she followed Maggie down the stairs. Buffy looked at Chandra and Faith. "The three of us will need to set up a perimeter. One that we can easily fall back behind and defend. I have a feeling that The Darkness will send the Bringers back as a distraction so we need to be ready.

"You want us to stay here, in Dublin, with thousands of innocents between an army of psycho monks and us? You've got to be kidding." Chandra glared at Buffy. "We need to go on the offensive. We need to go to the Deeper Well and take this thing on, before Tu-Koth can be summoned." Buffy shook her head.

"That is exactly what they will expect us to do. They'll be ready." She turned her back on Chandra who grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"I can't believe that you are willing to sacrifice innocents. Do you really think that the Bringers will simply avoid every other household in Dublin? That this Tu-Koth will only feed on one of us? We need to keep this out of the city, away from people. If that means confronting them on enemy turf, so be it." Chandra turned to walk away.

"Chandra, ask Faith what happens when you run off half cocked. People die." Chandra looked over her shoulder at Buffy.

"That's why we need to prepare to leave. Now." She called over her shoulder to Angel. "Watch Kira for me, Angel. Don't let anything happen to her." Angel nodded. Chandra turned and walked out the door, jogged down the stairs and collapsed in a chair in the sitting room. She covered her mouth with her hands and was startled to see that she was shaking violently. She held her trembling hand in front of her to look at the ring.

"Not your taste is it?" Chandra jumped as Spike entered the room. "I guess that's alright. It's not like I paid for it anyway." He stood over her, not touching her. She looked up to meet his gaze. She started to speak but he held up his hand.

"I already see the answer in your eyes and that's fine. I guess it just shows I need to stop wearing my bloody heart on my sleeve around you slayers." He held out his hand. "If you want to give it back, I'm sure I can hawk it for blood or, at the least, a decent brandy." She looked up to meet his eyes.

"No, Spike. I'm not giving it back." His mouth twitched and his eyes were hopeful for a moment before turning hard.

"And why the bloody hell not?"

"Because I want to keep it." She stood up and stood inches from him. "I was going to say yes but that we shouldn't say anything until after this is over. Then we were interrupted and I didn't get to tell you. But, now that I see your face, I'm starting to think that you want me to say no." He drew in a shaky breath.

"Touch me and you'll see what I want." He barely choked out the words. Chandra raised her still shaking hand to his chest. Before she could touch him, he grabbed her hand, pulled her the rest of the way to him and kissed her, dropping her hand to twist his in her hair, holding her to him. She felt the flood of his emotions surge forward through his lips. He loved her, mind, body and soul. He was giving them all up to her, forever.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Chandra's going to get herself killed," Buffy said, watching as Spike quickly followed Chandra out the door.

"I don't think so, B. You have no idea how tough that chick is because you never trained with her. She's got skills we don't even have." Faith was sitting cross legged on the floor stretching out her neck and shoulders. "Man, I'm starved. What have you got to eat around here Giles?" Giles sighed.

"Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen Faith. Just be sure to clean up this time."

"Hey Dawn, want to go with me?" Dawn nodded and the two of them headed down to the kitchen. Buffy sat next to Angel. He held the still sleeping Kira against his shoulder.

"How's she doing?" Asked Buffy, pushing one of Kira's brown curls out of her face. Angel shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I don't understand why the visions are so draining on her. I mean, when Cordelia had them, they were killing her until she became part demon but Kira_" he stopped when Xander dropped his book.

"Whoa! Cordelia became a demon? Where was I? When did this happen?" Buffy and Angel rolled their eyes and ignored him.

"Anyway, Kira is already part demon. And she's not complaining about headaches or being in pain. She's just exhausted." Angel patted her back as Kira sighed in her sleep. "She is an absolute beauty though, even if she does resemble Spike. Well, not so much as you all know him. He looked a lot different when he was first turned and before he went all Sid Vicious." Buffy leaned her head on her arm and watched Kira sleep.

"Both you and Spike missed out on a lot with your kids. Connor was kidnapped when he was a baby and, well, I don't blame Chandra from keeping Kira away from Sunnydale. I wonder if any of us would be here now if she had shown up back then. Hell, Spike may not have ever gone through the trials, wouldn't have gotten a soul. You would have been the one the wear that amulet in the hellmouth." She sat up straighter. "I guess things happen for a reason." She smiled as Kira sighed, shifted in her sleep and settled against Angel with a little smile on her lips.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"You deserve to be up there, not down here," Spike muttered as they walked through the sewer. "We could have waited a few hours until sundown." Chandra shook her head.

"What we need is down here." Spike stopped.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Chandra turned and took his hand dragging him behind her.

"Stay close. I have to focus and if anything attacks I may not sense it in time." She dropped his hand and walked faster. She could feel the pull and she could hear Kira.

_Mommy, turn left at the next tunnel_

_Baby, where are we going?_

_To find Goban's Hammer. _

................................................................................................................................................

"Mommy…" Kira murmured in her sleep. She twitched lightly. Angel moved to stand up.

"I'll go lay her down." Buffy put her hand on his arm to stop him.

"Did you hear that?" Her face screwed in concentration.

"Mommy…turn left…tunnel…" Angel frowned.

"She's talking in her sleep."

"No, she's talking to Chandra." Buffy turned. "Giles come here."

"Find Goban's Hammer." Kira shifted against Angel's shoulder and her forehead wrinkled.

"She's connected with Chandra," Giles turned and went back to his books. "Her powers must be growing, just as Chandra's are. And a mother and her child always have a sort of a psychic link…they're link is more pronounced."

"The door…go to….door" Angel looked at Giles, concerned.

"Should we wake her up?"

"No! If part of her mind is with her mother it could damage her permanently to forcibly wake her up. She must come out of this on her own."

……………………………………………………………………………………………....

They reached the end of the tunnel. The way was a solid brick wall.

"Did we take a wrong turn somewhere pet?" asked Spike, frowning.

"Shhh!" She was concentrating hard.

_What door Kira?_

_It's there. Reach in front of you._

Chandra reached out to touch the wall and her hand passed right through. She pulled her hand out immediately.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" Spike grabbed her hand to check for injuries.

"No, I'm fine." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

_All the way through Kira?_

_Yes. All the way through._

_Can both of us go through? _

_Yes. Daddy needs to help you._

"Come on," Chandra said, reaching behind her to take Spike's hand. "Stay close. I don't know what's on the other side." Slowly, they walked through the wall.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Angel had carried Kira into her room. Now, the six of them gathered around her, watching. She was still talking in her sleep.

"I don't think she's sleeping, per se," said Giles. "She's in a psychic trance. Whether she linked with Chandra or vice versa, I'm not sure. What this does demonstrate is that both mother and daughter are highly talented psychics."

"Yes, that's all great but what does it mean?" asked Xander. Giles opened his mouth to speak but it was Buffy who answered him.

"She's telling Chandra where to find Goban's Hammer." She looked at Giles. "If we have that, we can go to the Deeper Well and perform the ritual." Dawn looked at her.

"But we still need the Sphere of Dioyenne. The Darkness already has it. How are we supposed to get a hold of it?" Giles reached out to stroke Kira's cheek.

"I think she will be able to tell us that when she wakes."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Stepping through the barrier, they were suddenly surrounded by blackness and smoke. In the distance, they could see a light at the end of what appeared to be a cave.

"So this is what they mean by go towards the light." Spike quipped sarcastically.

"Quiet! I need to hear." He jerked on her arm, refusing to move further.

"Are you going to let me in on what we're here for?" Chandra looked towards the end of the cave.

"Fine. We're looking for Goban's Hammer. It's held in a sealed chamber, accessible by only seven hidden doorways in the world. Kira saw it and she's guiding me to it's location."

"And how the bloody hell is she doing that?" Spike asked, his forehead furrowing into a frown.

"Because our daughter is extremely gifted, Spike. Somehow, she pushed her vision into my head back at Giles'. I think it was an accident but when she found she could do that, she decided to see how much more she could do. That's why she's sleeping, or why everyone thinks she's sleeping. She's in a psychic sleep. Part of her mind is with me right now. I can talk to her and she to me. And she said to tell you that we're wasting time." Chandra turned back around to continue into the cave. After a moment's hesitation, Spike followed.

**A/N: I know I said I wanted 7 more reviews but I had this one almost finished anyway & it really is just another cliffie….**


	20. This Is Your Life Part I

**A/N: Insert standard disclaimer here. ****Joss owns everything except that which I do.**

**Chapter 20-This Is Your Life Part I**

They walked into the chamber.

It was empty.

"Well this is bloody anti-climactic." Spike looked around the room. "Looks like someone beat us to it."

"No, it's here." Chandra looked around. "I'm sure we'll be able to_" she was cut off by a punch to the face that knocked her down. Chandra tried to get up and her legs were knocked out from under her. Spike stepped forward to help and he was immediately assaulted by the unseen force. One kick to the stomach sent him flying against the cave wall.

"Show yourself!" Chandra yelled.

"Is it the Darkness?" Spike yelled getting to his feet. Chandra shook her head.

"No, I think it's a guardian_" she stopped and turned around, grabbing at air just above her head. "Gotcha!" The thing struggled in her grasp but she didn't let go.

"Ok my little invisible friend. What's the deal here? Why don't you play fair and show yourself." With a shimmer, the guardian appeared. He was a demon, just a little taller than Chandra. He had thick scales covering his back, long claws on his hands and feet. His face would terrify a grown man and he looked scared to death of Chandra.

"D'Hoffryn's heir!" Chandra nodded and set him back down on his feet. He immediately dropped to one knee. "Please forgive me! I didn't know." Chandra rolled her eyes. She had gotten tired of certain lower level demons groveling in front of her when they realized who she was.

"Get up." He rose quickly to his feet. "What's your name?"

"Tobianathen of the Crestwall Clan." He puffed out his metal plated chest. "But you can call me Toby."

"Whatever Toby. We are looking for something and I think you'll be able to help us find it."

"If you're looking for Goban's Hammer, I can't help you get it." He ducked, holding his hands up in front of his face. "Please don't curse me!"

"My god! How did a spineless coward like you get to be a guardian demon?" Chandra squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. Toby shrugged.

"Well, the invisibility thing really helps when you have an inferiority complex." Spike laughed.

"This is what we have to get past to get this hammer thingy? Please." He strode forward and walked around Toby who reached out and placed a clawed hand on Spike's chest. Spike looked down at the hand and back at Toby. He pursed his lips.

"You want to keep that hand do you boy?" Toby, realizing that he was touching Spike, immediately dropped his hand.

"Sorry. It's just, I can't let you get it." Spike narrowed his eyes.

"You may want to rethink that. We came down here to get that hammer and by god, we're not leaving until…" Chandra held up her hand.

"Spike, that's not what he meant. He means, he can't let you get it alone. Only I can get the hammer." She turned and looked at Toby. "So, where do we go?" Toby motioned behind him.

"It's through there. Through the time portal." Chandra frowned.

"What do you mean, a time portal?"

"You have to go back through your time line to get to the point where it was lost." Chandra laughed slightly, raised her eyebrow and cocked her head.

"Ok Toby. Here's the deal. Let's pretend that I have no idea what you're talking about and you give me just a little bit more information."

"Goban's Hammer isn't an actual hammer. I…well…I can't actually tell you. When you go back, you'll see." Toby stepped aside and tossed a handful of what appeared to be ash against the wall. A portal opened and Chandra and Spike walked through it together.

They were outside. It was daytime. Spike immediately pulled his coat over his head before realizing that he wasn't burning.

"Well this makes it nice," he said as they walked down what looked to be an ordinary suburban street.

"Where are we going love?" Chandra shook her head, frowning.

"I don't know." Spike looked around at the ranch style homes, each with perfectly groomed yards.

"Well this is supposed to be your timeline, right? Shouldn't you remember this?" They looked ahead to see two girls roller skating down the sidewalk. They had on tight t-shirts, corduroy bell bottoms and feathered hair. As they passed, Spike turned around watching them.

"If I'm not mistaken, we're in the Seventies pet." They rounded a corner and Chandra saw a man and a woman getting out of a station wagon, the woman holding a baby. "What year were you born?"

"1977," Chandra whispered. She had stopped when she saw the couple leaving the car.

"Well is that your mum?" Spike asked gesturing towards the woman, who was laughing as the man kissed both her and the baby before running up the walk to open the front door. Chandra shook her head, her eyes wide.

"I don't know." Spike looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean you don't know? Do you recognize her?"

"I don't remember my mother or my father." She kept walking towards the couple. Spike grabbed her arm and made her face him.

"What do you mean you don't remember your mother or your father? I can still picture my mum clear as day, and that was over a hundred years ago." He put one hand on her cheek. "Did they die when you were young?" Chandra frowned and she appeared to be concentrating.

"I don't remember. I can't remember a thing from when I was little. The first memory I have is of D'Hoffryn and I was about ten." She looked over her shoulder. "We need to follow them inside. I have to know what's going on." They hurried up the walkway but Spike paused on the porch.

"I don't think I'm going to get an invite love." Chandra just laughed.

"I don't think you need one." She turned around and backed up to the door, her eyes dancing as she walked backwards through the door. Spike stood on the porch, stunned, until she extended her hand out the door for him to take.

The man and woman were in the living room. A bassinet was by the couch and the woman was rocking it gently.

"I'm so glad we're home," she said, looking tired. "Aunt Donna is a wonderful cook but she can talk!" They laughed. The woman looked into the bassinet at the sleeping baby. "At least Chandra can sleep through all Donna's stories."

"That's you in there pet," Spike whispered, taking her hand. Chandra realized that she had been holding her breath. The man she presumed to be her father walked over to the woman she presumed to be her mother and kissed her.

"Are all your family gatherings that entertaining? I couldn't believe it when you Aunt Rose turned your Uncle Joe into a goat." Chandra started and stepped back. Spike put his hands on her shoulders.

"That? Oh that was just for fun. Uncle Joe doesn't mind. Says it's easier than dragging the lawn mower out at his age. I think when we all get together, we can't help showing off a bit." Chandra sucked in a breath.

"Show off what Mother?" she whispered. Her father walked behind the couch and squeezed his wife's shoulders.

"Well, just so long as you don't go turning me into a frog when you get angry with me." They laughed again and her father looked lovingly into the bassinet. "I wonder what powers she'll have?" Her mother smiled.

"Mom said that she may be like Granny Theresa. She was very powerful. She could time shift, teleport from place to place and you couldn't hide anything from her because she was telepathic. She was a wonderful woman and a powerful witch. The last fully connected witch in our family and the last demon hunter. No one since Theresa has had the power to do that, which is disappointing. Mother said that a child with that much strength is only born every hundred years in our family which makes Chandra the next in line."

"Well, I trust your mother. As a seer, she'd know this right?" He leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek as baby Chandra began to cry.

They were back on a street but on a different street, one with smaller shops instead of homes. Chandra was in shock, staring down at the sidewalk but not seeing it.

"I'm a witch? I'm not a demon I'm a witch? What the hell is going on?" She looked up. "Where are we now?"

"I'm not sure love. I think we've moved forward instead of back this time," he said, noticing the hairstyles of the people walking by them. They began walking slowly up the street, looking in the shop windows. Chandra stopped when she saw a wooden sign nailed above one door that read: Goban's.

"Spike, I think this is it." She dragged him behind her into the store. In front of them, a little girl with her hair in pigtails and a little boy with brown hair were hanging on the counter. The woman behind the counter laughed as they pleaded with her.

"Please Grandma! Please show us the necklace again!"

"Alright kidlets all right! My goodness Chandra! You've looked at that necklace three dozen times today! Now listen good little girl: just because I said it's yours doesn't mean you get it right away. It is very powerful and your powers are not to be toyed with." She frowned sternly at Chandra, who appeared to be no older than Kira. The little boy, who Chandra guessed to be about four, jumped up and down.

"What are my powers Grandma! What are mine?" The woman laughed, kissed his head and ruffled his hair. "James Goban, you know good and well that the only power you have right now is the power to annoy your sister." Chandra turned and stuck her tongue out at James.

"Goban. My last name's Goban." Chandra was shaking her head. "And I have a little brother. I don't remember any of this Spike. What's wrong with me?" She moved closer as her grandmother bent down behind the counter and stood up holding an ornately carved wooden box. She set the box on the counter and opened it. Inside was a beautiful pink flecked stone surrounded by gold snakes.

"This, Chandra, is our family's talisman. It has been blessed by each generation of Goban witches, each witch leaving a bit of her power with it to pass on to the next generation. It has been called the Goban's Hammer because whichever witch has the power to wield it, becomes indestructible and very, very strong. The last witch to wear this, Chandra, was your Granny Theresa, my grandmother. She was a very accomplished wicca. She fought the forces of darkness. She battled demons and vampires…" James interrupted her.

"There's no such thing as vampires!" Chandra smacked his head.

"There is so! I saw one. It had blond hair and a black coat and was hiding in the alley the other night when Mommy and I were walking home." Chandra turned and looked back at Spike. James scowled at Chandra.

"You did not!"

"I did too!"

"How do you know it was a vampire?" Chandra stood over her brother with an air of superiority.

"Because it's face was all bumpy and Mommy said it was a vampire when I told her, so there." She stuck her tongue out at him again.

"Chandra Goban, you do that one more time and I will put a binding spell on you that won't wear off until you're thirty!"

"Chandra I know where we are. We're in San Francisco. In 1985. I remember you and your mother." He looked first at her face and then looked away. "You were in North Beach. I was going to feed on both of you." He smiled and his face took on a far away look. "Then you looked at me and you smiled and I let you go on, for some reason." They both watched as young Chandra fingered the talisman.

"That's what I lost. But I still don't know when. Or why I don't remember anything." The shop faded out and they were in a house. It was dark.

"Ok seriously, this whole 'Chandra this is your life' crap is starting to wear me out." Chandra looked around, trying to determine where to turn first when she heard the crash.

"Quiet Halfrek! We have to make this quick before she wakes up." D'Hoffryn hissed.

"D'Hoffryn, I still don't understand why we have to do this. It's not like you have to take orders from them. You're bigger than they are."

"Not at this point. They have the magics behind them and I can't fight that kind of power. This girl is special and they want her set aside until they need to use her. They know that no one of power will suspect her to be with us." D'Hoffryn and Halfrek walked out of the bedroom carrying a sleeping Chandra. Chandra watched the scene unfold.

"He kidnapped me. I'm not of his blood. He took me from my family."

"Settle down love. It's alright."

"Did he hurt them?" She started towards the bedrooms but Spike stopped her.

"I don't know if you want to see that, love." He could smell the blood. Her jaw tightened.

"They're dead, aren't they." Spike didn't answer her. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She opened them again when she heard D'Hoffryn speak.

"We'll have to take her to the shaman, erase her memory. We need to build a new one for her."

"That will be hard. She's getting so old, it's going to be hard to make her forget." Halfrek sounded worried. "Maybe we should talk to Anyaka_"

"No. We are the only two who can know. If the wrong people find out we have her before she's ready, it will be the end of our family Halfrek." Chandra bit her lip and her eyes narrowed.

"Dammit D'Hoffryn. What did you do?"

**A/N Part II is in the works. Reviews would be nice for this part. No pressure. **


	21. This Is Your Life Part II

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

This is your life part II

D'Hoffryn carried a young, sleeping Chandra to the couch. Halfrek stayed close at his side.

"D'Hoffryn, these are mere witches_"

"Yes Halfrek but this is an old family of powerful witches, many of whom have become some of the great vengeance demons. Yourself included." Halfrek rolled her eyes and looked away. "I promised the matriarch that I would help her in any way I can and if that means raising her granddaughter as my own, so be it."

Chandra stared as D'Hoffryn pulled the Goban's Hammer from her young self's hands and give it to Halfrek.

"Take this to her grandmother and tell her we were too late to save the rest of the family. If Chandra hadn't been holding this when the bounty hunters attacked, I doubt she would have survived." He stroked the child's cheek. "We can't let her stay in this dimension at this age. She is too vulnerable and she cannot wield her family's talisman, not until she is older. We will take her to the shaman and then home. Tomorrow, she will awaken with no memory of her prior life. She will think she was born a half demon and a blood member of my family."

The living room flashed out of sight and they were back in the cave. Toby was watching solemnly. Chandra turned her head slowly to look at him.

"You knew." She strode across the cave and grabbed the demon by the neck, lifting him up off of his feet. "You knew and you said nothing!"

"I'm sorry! You had to find out on your own!" the guardian demon squeaked. She dropped him back to the floor.

"Who else knows about this? About who I really am?" Toby cowered away.

"A handful of lesser demons who have access to the time portal. But they would never say anything because they are either too afraid of D'Hoffryn or too afraid of the Senior Partners if they can't provide the goods to back up the claim." It was Spike's turn to slam Toby up against the cave.

"What do you mean, the Senior Partners? They're gone. We sent them back to hell."

"You know for a vampire, you're not too swift." Spike slammed him against the wall again. "Ow. Sorry but it's true. You didn't actually believe that the Senior Partners are gone, did you? Why else is that spot in Los Angeles still such a hotbed of energy? Don't you realize that they engineered that little faux battle you had? You helped them destroy their enemies. The Archduke, the Fel Brethern…they were all getting in the way of the Senior Partners plans. You and your little group just helped them dispose of the trash. Now, the demonic royalty has lost it's power base and left it open for the true apocalypse to finally occur." Spike punched him, knocking Toby to the ground.

"Hey! Don't kill the messenger! I don't exactly want the world to end either. I mean, it can at least wait until Susan Lucci retires from All My Children." Toby scrambled to his feet. "Look, I'm just the guardian to this portal. I'm a bit like a tollbooth worker. I let people through, I can see where they're going and that's it. I have no beef with humanity. Humanity's kinda cool. But that's not going to stop me from jumping dimensions before too long. It's going to get really, really bad. The Darkness is loose, the Senior Partners are waiting to see what you do there and then they will make their final move. Any demon with his ear to the ground can sense it." Toby turned to Chandra. "And if you want to stop it, you better get what you need and get a move on before it's too_" He was cut off as a sword was shoved through his back. The sword withdrew and Toby fell to the ground. Three larger demons shimmered into sight.

"Bounty hunters." Spike said, squaring off. The largest of the three bounty hunters stepped forward.

"We finally found you Witch."

"So you did," said Chandra cocking her head and smiling. She dropped one hand down to her side.

_Spike._ Spike flinched as he heard Chandra's voice in his head. He instinctively started to turn.

_Don't look at me. Move this way but do it slowly. We need to get out of here._ Chandra's eyes never left the bounty hunters.

"So, took you guys long enough. It's been what? Twenty years? Do you usually move this slowly when you're hunting someone?" Out of the corner of her eye, Spike was slowly walking towards her, moving as if to get between Chandra and the bounty hunters. Chandra took a step towards the bounty hunters, which closed the gap between herself and Spike.

"You don't have your talisman here, girl. There's nothing that can stop us from bringing your head to Wolfram and Hart. We'll kill you and the vampire, just like we killed your family." Her eyes flashed and rage clouded her mind.

"Careful Chandra," Spike whispered, low enough for only her to hear. She saw he was close enough and he was easing his hand out to hers. They would have to be quick. Once the bounty hunters realized what they were doing….

They moved fast. Chandra grabbed Spike's hand and teleported just as the fire balls flew from the bounty hunter's hands. They appeared on the street in San Francisco. It was dawn but the fog blanketed the city, cutting out the direct sunlight. Still, Spike ducked into the nearest alley.

"Do you think they'll follow us?" he asked, watching the sky. The alley wasn't completely covered.

"I don't think they can." Chandra stepped back out onto the street and looked both ways. "If they could, they would be here by now." She looked up the street one more time.

"I think this is it. I tried to focus on going to the street where my grandmother's shop was. Some of these stores look familiar. We need to check it out."

"I'm not going anywhere pet. One break in those clouds and we have a problem."

"Spike, this is San Francisco. The sun is not even fully up yet. We have at least ten minutes and I know that we're not far from that shop." She grabbed his arm. "Now let's go."

They hurried up the street. Chandra recognized some of the shop names from the time portal. The signs were a bit worn but the same. Suddenly, she found it.

Goban's

Chandra pushed open the door.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Kira slowly opened her eyes. She looked around at the adults standing around her. Giles took her hand.

"Kira dear, are you alright?" She nodded. "Can you tell us what happened? Did your mother find Goban's hammer?"

"Not yet. But they're almost there." Giles helped her sit up.

"Kira, are they alright?" Kira shook her head.

"I can't tell. Mommy's blocking me. She said I didn't need to know and then I couldn't hear her anymore and Cordelia's gone away." Giles turned to Willow.

"Willow, can you find Chandra? We need to know where she is." Willow, who had been hanging back with Kennedy since Chandra stormed out of the house, shook her head.

"Giles you may not want me to do that. If I try to sense where Chandra is, it could blow away any blocks she has put up to keep the big bad away."

"You're right Willow. I didn't think of that." He watched Kira run back to the library to her drawing supplies. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

A bell rang as she opened the door. Spike followed quickly behind her. A woman walked out of the back room, wiping her glasses on a towel.

"Welcome to Goban's. How can I help_" she put her glasses back on and stopped as she saw Chandra. "Chandra? Baby, is that you?" She ran forward and embraced her. Chandra wasn't able to raise her arms to hug the woman back. She recognized her grandmother from the portal. Her grandmother, sensing Chandra's tension, backed away.

"You don't remember anything do you?" Chandra shook her head and her grandmother put her hand to Chandra's cheek. Then she looked behind Chandra and saw Spike.

"William the Bloody I presume." Spike started and frowned but she only smiled. "Charlotte Goban. I knew that my granddaughter would find you. It was her destiny." She looked from Spike to Chandra.

"So how is my great-granddaughter? What did you name her? Kira?" Chandra, who had been looking at the floor, snapped her head up.

"How do you_" Charlotte waved her hand.

"Again, you know I'm a seer and still you ask. Plus, I have a little inside knowledge." Chandra knew.

"D'Hoffryn. You've been talking to D'Hoffryn." Her grandmother nodded.

"I have been in contact with D'Hoffryn for years. He has always come to our family to recruit. Witches have always made the best and most creative vengeance demons so D'Hoffryn maintains close ties with the five major magic families. We don't kill them and the vengeance demons don't attack members of our families. It is a truce that has dated back for centuries. When I asked him to take you in, he jumped at the chance." Chandra stepped back and leaned against Spike for support.

"I don't understand. You let my parents and my brother get slaughtered to send me to D'Hoffryn?" Charlotte shook her head.

"No Baby. I wanted to save everyone but I couldn't. D'Hoffryn saved you. It had to be that way. If you hadn't been raised in a demon world, you never would have sought William out, you never would have had Kira, Spike would not exist as a vampire and the world would have ended years ago. Everything was planned in the beginning." Charlotte took a deep breath.

"Chandra, you were raised by Halfrek and D'Hoffryn. Hallie took you under her wing and tried to steer you towards vengeance but you resisted. She encouraged you to look at the 'darker side' and sent you to Sunnydale. There you saw William, er, Spike. You recognized him, on some level, from when you saw him in San Francisco. That's why you were so obsessed in wanting to know who he was. That's why you went back to London to find him as a human." Charlotte walked behind the counter and started rearranging the jars of herbs on the shelves behind her. She continued her story but kept her back to Chandra and Spike.

"Everything is connected. If you had not gone back, Chandra, William Pratt would never have been turned. Angelus, Darla and Drucilla would never have gone to Romania. Angelus would have never been cursed with a soul. The slayer line would have been thrown off. Neither Buffy nor Faith would have been called. Willow Rosenburg would not have realized her potential as a witch. Neither Connor nor Kira would ever have been born. Dawn would not have been created. The Wolf, Ram and Hart would have turned the world into a hell dimension long ago and the First would have destroyed the entire slayer line. Everything happens for a reason, Chandra. It's all planned." Charlotte turned back to face Chandra, tears in her eyes.

"Even the deaths of your parents and brother were planned. To allow Connor, Kira and Dawn to be brought into this world, for Willow to learn her destiny, for Buffy and Faith to create an army of slayers, people had to die. People I loved, people you loved. In order for there to be the greatest concentration of magical power ever known in this dimension, you had to go away and forget who you were. Now, you know. And you must use this knowledge to save the world, for good. Once you destroy the Darkness, it's over. We will have control over this dimension again for generations. And you can destroy the Darkness, Chandra. You and Willow, together, have the power." Chandra stepped towards her.

"I don't have that kind of power. I am nowhere near as strong as Willow_" Charlotte cut her off. She reached under the counter and brought out the ornately carved wooden box Chandra had seen in the portal.

"With this, you are." Charlotte opened the box and removed the necklace. "Our family's talisman, Chandra. You are next in line to wield it. With this, you will be able to tap into the magic of every witch that ever blessed it, including the most powerful of our family, Theresa." Chandra took the necklace and felt the power centered in that pink flecked stone. Her eyes met her grandmother's.

"I'm a demon now. D'Hoffryn made me a vengeance demon." Charlotte shook her head.

"No, Chandra, he merely lifted the binding spell I had placed on you."

"But I feel myself turning into the demon_" Charlotte laughed.

"It's mind over matter. You believed that you are a demon so you turn into one. I can assure you, my dear, that you are no demon. You are one of the strongest witches the world has seen in over one hundred years." Chandra looked back at the Hammer.

"And I'm really a slayer?"

"That you actually are. Theresa was a slayer. That's why she was able to fight demons. She had the physical strength as well as the magics. It only stands to reason that, as you are to take her place, you should be one as well." At that, Spike finally spoke.

"Well then why is Kira a slayer too, if she's not going to be the next uber-witch."

Charlotte looked thoughtful. "I've wondered that myself but I believe that she is not actually a slayer but is instead only a slayer through the psychic link she has with her mother. Kira is a powerful seer, yes, but she will learn as she grows the power that she has over the human mind as a telepath, as an empath. I've seen what she will be able to do, if the battle ends as written. For now, she is only connected to her mother; therefore, she is a slayer. When she gains more control over her power, she may choose to turn that off. For now, that added strength will prove valuable."

………………………………………………………………………………………..

_Willow. _Willow snapped her head up when she heard her name. _Willow, we're coming home. We found what we need._

"Chandra." Willow whispered.

"What is it, Willow?" Kennedy asked. Willow didn't answer as Chandra's voice continued to speak in her head.

_Gather them, Willow. Get everyone there now. We need to leave as soon as we get there._ Willow listened and spoke to Chandra, receiving instruction and making plans. She couldn't believe what Chandra was proposing but it sounded better than anything they had thought of so far.

"It was Chandra. I hear her. She said that she and Spike are coming back and that they 'have what we need'. We need to gather everyone now. She said that we are ready to leave. Buffy, Faith and Giles stared at her and Xander spoke from the doorway.

"Willow, are you sure it was Chandra? It could be a trick of the Darkness. I mean, we've walked into traps before."

"I know Xander but I feel it in my bones. This was Chandra. Something big has happened. I don't know what but from the sound of her voice…" she looked at Giles. "This is a good thing. Whatever has happened, it's a good thing." She looked at Buffy. "Get the scythe. Hurry. Before Chandra returns." Buffy ran down the stairs to the basement training room where the scythe was kept locked away. Angel straightened up.

"What can I do?" Willow thought for a moment.

"You need to protect Kira. You and Spike will need to protect both Kira and Dawn. Don't let the Bringers get them. Do that and stay out of the way. This is our fight. Faith." Willow turned to her. "Faith, you and Buffy will need to establish the line with the slayers. We don't have time for newbies. Just get the ones that we have trained. We'll call them here with the power of the scythe. You will have to be the first line and your primary job is to get Connor. Get Connor and get him behind the line with Kira and Dawn." She turned to Giles and Xander. "I'll need you to watch mine and Chandra's backs. We'll be unable to defend ourselves without breaking concentration so we'll need you." Giles frowned and started to speak but Willow held up her hand.

"Giles, please. Not now. We don't have time. As soon as Chandra gets back, we're leaving. All of us are leaving. We're heading to the Deeper Well and we're putting a stop to the evil once and for all."


	22. Going to the Mattresses

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 22: Go to the Mattresses**

Buffy brought the scythe to Willow. She took it from her and laid it on the table in the library. Placing both hands on it, Willow closed her eyes and began to quietly chant.

"Sisters of the slayer line, here my call. Your time has come, the fight is now. Follow my voice. Help us stop this advancing evil." The scythe turned bright white and a silent shockwave radiated from it in all directions.

Buffy jerked her head up and looked at Willow.

"Oh wow Will. It's like you were yelling in my head. I don't think that any slayer will be able to ignore that." Willow smiled.

"And it will only get louder if they ignore it. They will be drawn to wherever we are. And those that are too far away, Chandra and I can summon later if we need them." Giles looked up from his book.

"What do you mean summon_" he was cut off when Faith came running into the room.

"God Willow, that was almost painful. If you needed me, you could have just yelled." Faith went over to Kennedy who looked dazed. "You ok kiddo?" Kennedy nodded and looked to Willow in awe.

"Willow…wow…that was way intense." Suddenly the door slammed shut downstairs and Maggie's thick Irish brogue and Janelle's excited tones reached them before the girls appeared in the doorway, followed by ten slayers.

"Willow, we're here. How the hell did you do that?" Janelle was twisting her long black hair up into a high ponytail. She started to say more but froze when she saw the scythe. "Oh my god Buffy. This must be serious to literally break out the big guns."

"Where's Chandra?" asked Maggie. Kira ran over to her and jumped up into her arms. "Ahhh Mavourneen. You are getting so big little one." Maggie kissed her forehead.

"Mommy and Daddy are both here." Everyone turned to the doorway as another pack of slayers rushed in.

"Willow! What in the world did you do?" Chandra yelled from behind the new group. Spike took her arm and they fought their way through the throng of girls. Willow met them half way and hugged Chandra.

"Are you sure that you want to do this? This is big, heavy duty stuff." Willow whispered to her.

"I have never been more ready than I am right now. Besides, when this is over," she held up her hand and flashed her ring, her eyes glowing. "I have something to look forward to." With that Spike swept her up off the ground and kissed her. The chorus of catcalls and cheers were deafening. Chandra had to laugh. She leaned down and whispered to Spike. His face became serious as he whispered back.

"I hope that she's right love." He put her back on her feet and Chandra joined Willow in the front of the crowd. There were now at least fifty slayers in the house and Giles and Xander both saw a seemingly endless stream of girls coming up both sides of the street. There would easily be one hundred slayers for this fight. Willow cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Ok people. Here's what we're going to do."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

_**Previously in San Francisco**_

"What do you suggest we do?" Chandra asked Charlotte. Charlotte reached under the counter and pulled out a thick book.

"This is our family's book of shadows. Each witch has entered her most powerful spells and incantations as well as information on any evil that she has come across. Theresa has a spell in here that you may find useful. I don't know if you alone are powerful enough to invoke this, Chandra. What you said about Willow being more powerful than you is true. However, I believe that if the two of you combine your power, you will succeed." Spike walked up behind Chandra and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Just like you did in Los Angeles with the Wolfram and Hart site." Charlotte looked at him, surprised.

"What happened with Wolfram and Hart?" Spike answered her.

"We went to the site to retrieve a book template so Giles could learn about the Old Ones so Willow could invoke them to bind the Darkness…" he trailed off as Charlotte's face paled. "I take it that this would not be a good thing."

"You want to invoke the first demons to merely bind the original evil? Who told you to do that?"

"Kira received a vision from the Powers That Be and they told her that was the only way." Charlotte looked angry.

"The Powers…they are, without a doubt, completely useless. Never do anything if they won't benefit from the outcome. So long as there is evil here, they will have power over this realm. No, Chandra. You cannot perform any ritual that will invoke evil." She looked back to Spike. "Please, tell me what happened at Wolfram and Hart."

"Well, Willow tried to summon the book and the gates of hell opened up. Chandra and Willow somehow combined powers to close the door. Drained the both of them it did." Charlotte nodded.

"So you are already able to merge with Willow. That's good. With the hammer to focus, you will be able to perform Theresa's spell." Charlotte opened the book and flipped to a worn page with faded handwriting. "This is what you need to do." She turned the book around and Chandra began to read.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Dublin, Ireland**

"We have been lost as to what to do with the Darkness," Chandra began. "It has killed a dozen of us so far and has shown that physically, we are no match to it. It has Connor and it wants Dawn and Kira. It wants all of us dead. And Wolfram and Hart are sitting on the sidelines to see if we can indeed destroy the original evil, and make no mistake, this is the original evil. It was here before good. In the beginning, the earth was cloaked in Darkness. That is the same creation story from every culture and religion. The Darkness was here before us but we can exist without it. If we merely bind the Darkness, Wolfram and Hart will unleash _the_ apocalypse. If we destroy the Darkness, Wolfram and Hart will know that we can destroy them as well." She looked at each of the girls, many of whom were barely fifteen and looked petrified. "Believe me, we have the power to destroy the Darkness, once and for all." She looked to Willow who nodded and smiled at her. Chandra continued.

"Many of you know my story. I was raised believing I was the great granddaughter of D'Hoffryn and destined to become a vengeance demon. What I learned is that I am not a demon but the latest generation in a long line of powerful witches. D'Hoffryn raised me to protect me, as a favor to my grandmother. I had to be hidden from Wolfram and Hart. They knew, from their seers and shamans, that if I was killed a number of events would never happen. If I had died, Spike, Angel, Buffy, Faith, Willow…not one of you would be here today. They sent bounty hunters to kill me and my family. I survived; my parents and little brother did not. D'Hoffryn had my memory erased and raised me as one of his own. What is going on today, this was written years before any of us, Angel and Spike included were born. We are the ones who were written about in the beginning. We alone have the power to defeat the Darkness."

"How do you intend to do this?" asked Buffy.

………………………………………………………………………………………

**Previously in San Francisco**

"I don't know if we can do this spell." Chandra said stepping away from the book, her eyes wide. "I mean, this is talking about joining the magic of every witch in the world, as well as their ancestors. Even Theresa said that this had never been done before. How do we know that this will work?"

Charlotte placed her hand on Chandra's. "I know that this will work, Chandra. It will work because we have the largest concentration of magical power ever found in this world. Every magical family, the Goban's; the Astley's; the Warren's; the O'Brien's and the Rosetti's. In each of these families, this generation is the most powerful generation ever. Then there is the solo Wicca like Willow. Some have banded together in covens because there are so many powerful witches. It is the perfect storm of good against evil. It will take this much good magic to bring down the ultimate evil." She pointed emphatically at the book. "Theresa wrote this because she knew that this day would come. She knew that someday, her blood would rise up against evil to destroy it. She also knew that you would need help. You can do this, Chandra. You will need Willow and the hammer, but you can do this." Chandra turned to Spike.

"Well, Mr. Hardcore Skeptic on the magics. What do you think? Can I do this? Can _we_ do this?" He didn't answer her right away. He kept his eyes locked on hers. He stroked her cheek, moved his hand behind her neck and kissed her.

"Love, I know you can. You have power that you don't even know. I've seen what you can do and I know what Willow can do. If there are two people on this earth that can pull this off, it will be you two." He looked at Charlotte.

"How much time do we have?"

"The sooner you can get this done, the better."

"Fine. Chandra, go fill Willow in on what's going on. I suspect that there are things she will need to do before we arrive." Chandra looked to Charlotte, who motioned to her back room. Chandra disappeared behind the curtain. Charlotte turned to Spike.

"You love her very much, don't you?" Spike looked slightly taken aback.

"I love her more than anything. I would die for her, and I probably will. I've done it once before. I figure I'm due a couple more deaths by apocalypse before all is said and done." Charlotte smiled and Spike was confused by her expression. "What? What is that look for?"

"Oh, probably nothing. Just the Shanshu prophecy. You have heard of it haven't you?" Spike frowned.

"Yeah that one that says that either Angel or me, if we play nice in the apocalypse, will get to be a real boy again. I don't hold much stock in that one. I'll believe that when I feel a heart beating in my chest again." He cocked his head and looked hard at Charlotte, who was trying hard to conceal a smile. "You know something."

"I know many things. I also see what may happen as well as what will happen. The only certain things are those that have already happened. I do know that the Shanshu prophecy will be fulfilled with this battle. I don't know if it will be you, I don't know if it will be Angel but I know that this is the battle that decides it." She turned and looked through the curtain towards Chandra and then back to Spike.

"Don't say anything to Chandra. She can't risk her life to try to protect you and she will if she thinks that there is a chance you will become human. No matter what anyone says to her, she will always blame herself for what she did to you, no matter how necessary it was."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

**Dublin, Ireland**

Chandra looked at Willow.

"Do you want to explain what are going to do?" Willow nodded, her eyes shining.

"We are going to link the magic of all the witches in the world. There are five magical families and this is their strongest generation. There are also over fifty witches with powers similar to mine who are not connected to these families. What Chandra and I will do is connect with these witches, tap into their powers and the powers of their ancestors. We will do that with the help of Chandra's family talisman, what her ancestors called 'Goban's Hammer'." Willow looked at Chandra to continue.

"My great-great grandmother was Theresa Goban. She was a powerful witch and a slayer. She was the last of what we call a fully connected witch. She could sense where the power was throughout the world, both good and evil, which is why she was such a good slayer. She wrote a spell that could allow the user to connect to all the good magic in the world to use against the evil. She was not powerful enough to use it, even with the hammer. I am not powerful enough and neither is Willow. However, Willow and I can merge our powers and funnel them through the talisman. By doing this, we will connect to the power of each of my relatives who have blessed it. We can then link with each witch in the world so we can tap into the spiritual power that resides in the Deeper Well. This should give us enough magical power to destroy the Darkness." Chandra looked at Buffy and Faith.

"We will need you to be the front line at the Deeper Well. You need to save Connor. The Bringers may not be able to resurrect all of the Old Ones with his blood but they can still restore one or two. Without the good power in my family's talisman to counteract the evil, the Old Ones will be uncontrollable and they will destroy the world.

You will also be battling the Bringers and any demon that the Darkness summoned. We know that it is calling the Tu-Koth and there could be others. Buffy, you will need the scythe. Everyone needs weapons. Not stakes. I'm talking swords, knives, axes…you need something strong and sturdy. Decapitate first, ask questions later. We're not taking any chances. We also don't know what Wolfram and Hart will throw in. Be prepared for anything and everything to get thrown at you out there. Once you have Connor, get him behind Angel and Spike." She turned to look at the vampires.

"I need you two to guard Dawn, Kira and Connor. You will get hit with Bringers trying to get their blood. The more blood they get, the more of the Old Ones they can restore. Do not break formation. Your main duty is to keep the three of them safe." She looked at Giles and Xander. "Willow and I are counting on you to watch our backs. We will be unable to defend ourselves once we're connected. If we break our concentration, it will break the spell. We get one shot at this, only one. If we fail, we're dead." Chandra looked at each of the slayers, most of them not much older then fifteen. "Whatever you have done, whatever you have seen was nothing compared to what you will see at the Deeper Well. We don't know how many Bringers there will be. We don't know what demons or vampires will be there. We also don't know if Ilyria is still alive or whose side she will be on." Chandra turned and looked at Angel and Spike.

"If Ilyria is alive, she will be on our side. She has to be." Angel looked to Spike for confirmation but Spike shook his head.

"It's been five years mate. We don't know what she'll do." Chandra nodded.

"This is why we need to be fully prepared for anything." Faith stepped forward, her hands on her hips.

"Just how do you intend for all of us to get to the Deeper Well?" She gestured around to the hundred slayers who spilled out of the room, down the stairs and into the street. "We going to rent a bus or something?" Maggie, Janelle and a handful of other slayers laughed. Chandra smiled.

"No, Willow and I will get everyone there." She took Willow's hand and took one last glance around the room. She locked eyes with Spike, who had picked up Kira.

_I love you._ He mouthed. Chandra took a deep breath and looked at Willow.

"Ok everyone." Willow said, her voice a little shaky. "Brace yourselves. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

With that, Willow and Chandra took hold of the Goban talisman. A flash of light and everyone was teleported to the Deeper Well.

**A/N: Yes, I know that this last part is a bit improbable, even by fictional standards. This just goes to show you how much power Willow and Chandra have together.**

**Also, our time together with this story will be coming to an end shortly. We are heading into the last three to four chapters. I have the end written, I just have to get us there. Thanks for coming along for this ride. I hope that you will stick with me a little longer. A little love will help me in moving forward so reviews, reviews, reviews!!!! **


	23. The Battle Begins

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 23: The Battle Begins **

The slayers stood on the hill, looking down into the valley of the Deeper Well. It was dark but the fires below lit up the valley as if it were day time. Janelle, the outspoken member of the slayer family, looked back at Chandra and Willow.

"What was it you were saying about needing weapons?" She held up her empty hands. Chandra wrinkled her nose at her.

"Heads up girlie." At that moment, swords, axes and other weapons came flying towards the group. Each slayer caught one weapon, some grabbing two. A katana sword aimed directly at Kira, who caught it and began expertly swinging it. Spike, who had caught an ax, looked at her in awe. Chandra caught his eye and winked at him. Buffy turned to face everyone, holding the scythe at the ready.

"We're here. We know what we're to do. Faith, Kennedy, Janelle and Maggie, I want you four to go for Connor. Try to get him back here without letting those Bringers down there know." Faith glanced down the hill.

"I don't know B. There's a bunch of them down there and you know they have him guarded." Buffy looked at Kira.

"Kira, can you see anyway in? Where he is? Anything?" Kira shook her head.

"I just know he's under the ground Buffy. There's a cave that they are holding him." Angel and Spike both spoke at once.

"We know where he is." Angel looked at Spike who motioned him to go ahead. "I should go down with them. I've been in the Deeper Well. I know where they're holding him." Chandra and Willow began to protest that he was needed to protect Dawn and Kira but Angel walked up to Faith's group.

"I'm going to save my son. Nothing that you can say will stop me." With that, he started down the hill. Faith and the other slayers ran to catch up to him. Chandra turned to look at Kira and Dawn, then turned to face Buffy.

"Buffy, I need you to guard Kira and Dawn with Spike." Buffy began to protest. "Please, Buffy. I know that you want to be on the front but I need some one strong back here. Give the scythe to Vi or Melissa. We have a hundred slayers here. I need you back here." Buffy nodded and handed the scythe off to Vi, one of the first potentials to have been turned by Willow's spell. Buffy took her ax and sword and hurried back to stand by Spike, ready to protect Kira and Dawn. Xander and Giles stood ready in front of Chandra and Willow.

"What do you need us to do?" asked Xander.

"We need you to keep any Bringer or whatever that slips through the front away from us," answered Willow. She looked at Chandra. "How will we know when it's time?"

"We'll know," answered Chandra. Suddenly, she heard a throat clear behind her. She turned and was startled to see D'Hoffryn standing in the clearing behind her. She ran over to him, ignoring Willow's protests.

"I don't have time for this right now D'Hoffryn. We'll deal with the other_" he held up his hand to cut her off.

"Chandra, I am aware that you now know your history of your true family. Charlotte summoned me and told me that I needed to come here to speak with you immediately." Chandra crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow. He continued.

"You may not be of my blood, nor are you a vengeance demon. How you are able to hurt the Darkness when you are not of demonic blood, I do not know. Perhaps it is your strength as a witch that enables it. I raised you as my own and grew to love you more than my other demons. You are my child, as is Kira. I lied to you but it was solely to protect you. I had hopes that you would willingly choose to become a vengeance demon. That day in the park, I was tempted but I could see in your heart that you did not wish that to be your fate so I merely lifted the final remnants of your grandmother's binding spell she placed upon you." He reached out and she placed her hand in his. "Know this, you are powerful, second only to Willow. You have the power to defeat the Darkness. Just remember your family." With that he squeezed her hand and a jolt of electricity passed through her. She saw flashes of faces, heard names of people. Memories darted into her mind. She saw herself playing at the park with her little brother. She saw her mother flicking her hand to close a door behind her. She felt her father's strong hands pick her up and swing her around. The memories swirled into her mind and then stopped. She dropped his hand.

"What the hell did you just do?"

"I gave you your memories back, Chandra. You need to remember where you came from for this spell to work." With that, he backed away from her.

"Take care, Daughter." With a flash of light and wind, he teleported. Chandra felt hands on her shoulders and collapsed into Spike's waiting arms. The memory surge was still fresh but most were slowly fading away.

"Are you alright, love?" whispered Spike in her ear. She nodded.

"D'Hoffryn just gave me his last gift. He gave me my family."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Faith had to run hard to catch up to Angel. She could hear Kennedy ordering Janelle and Maggie to fall back. Kennedy was always the third in command, had been since she was a potential.

"Angel! Wait." He finally slowed down and turned to face her.

"Faith you're not going to stop me_"

"Angel, I wasn't planning on it. You need our help." He stopped and waited for Faith to catch up. They ducked down behind a fallen tree as a group of torch bearing Bringers walked three feet in front of them. Faith watched them pass and then exhaled.

"That was close. Do you think they know we're here?" Angel opened his mouth to respond when they heard Maggie yell behind them.

"Behind you!" Faith turned, raising her sword and slicing the arm off of the Bringer who stood behind her. Angel also turned and killed the second Bringer. Kennedy, Janelle and Maggie caught up to Faith and Angel just as a group of Bringers came flying out of the darkness, their knives and swords raised. Faith ducked around a Bringer, spinning and drawing her sword across it's abdomen. She spun and decapitated another Bringer, bringing her sword around behind her to stab yet a third.

"Angel! I'm taking my chance!" Angel turned and saw Faith run further down the hill and knew she was going after Connor by herself. He couldn't leave the other three slayers to follow as more Bringers came out of the woods.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chandra gasped. Willow turned to her.

"What's wrong?" Chandra's stared down into the valley.

"They know we're here." She climbed on a stump and whistled, getting everyone's attention.

"Front lines! Get ready! They're coming!" Vi yelled directions at the front group and they got into position, moving quickly down the hill. They could hear the sound of the Bringer's feet running up the hill to greet them. Chandra jumped down from the stump and ran to Willow.

"Are you ready?" She pulled out the necklace and held it out to Willow. Willow smiled and took hold. The two witches faced each other and grasped hands, staring at each other.

Giles heard their whispered spell but couldn't make out the words.

"I don't know what they're doing," he whispered to Xander, keeping one ear on the battle brewing below.

"How are we supposed to know that it's working?" asked Xander.

"I guess we'll know when it_" Giles trailed off as the earth began to rumble and a whirlwind of light emanated from Willow and Chandra. Giles held his hand up to block the brilliant light and turned away from the glare. It was then that he heard the voice. It seemed to come from the earth itself.

"Sisters by blood and magic! Heed the call! Through time and space I summon thee! Let those that passed before return!" Giles suddenly heard the sound of hundreds of voices chanting names. He dared a look at the light whirlwind and saw flashes of people, witches, chanting loudly.

"Do you hear that?" yelled Xander. He too was shading his eyes from the radiant white light. "They're chanting the same names over and over!"

"They are invoking the spirits of their ancestors." Giles hit his forehead as it dawned on him. "That's why D'Hoffryn came here tonight. Chandra's grandmother must have told him to return her memory so she could call her ancestors as well."

Xander stared at the witches in the center of the whirlwind until he had to look away. "What is this all going to do?" he yelled over the increasing sound of voices.

"I'm not sure. They must be planning on tapping into the magic not only in this world but in the next world as well. If it works, we will be at the center of a magical storm the likes of which has never been seen before." As the voices rose, they could make out some of the names being chanted.

"Melinda, Helena, Astrid, Grace"

"Theresa, Rebekah, Laura, Elizabeth"

"Maria, Aida, Clarissa, Dorotea"

"Margaret, Adelia. Neala, Patricia"

"Anja, Svetlana, Shura, Karina"

"Huong, Kim, Phoung, Trang"

"Adonia, Gabriella, Felicia, Lourdes"

"Agnes, Iliana, Melusina, Yolanda"

More and more names were chanted. As the names were repeated, streamers of lights fell from the sky. It was like a million shooting stars were all plunging to earth at once. As the lights grew, Giles saw that they were taking human shape.

"They did it," his whisper was barely audible. "Oh my god, they did it."

Just then, he heard a roar coming from the base of the hill.

"Oh shit," said Xander, raising his sword with a shaking hand. "That can't be good."

**A/N: Short one this time. Coming to a close. This is just a teaser to the big battle. It has only begun…**


	24. Darkness Rising

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 24-Darkness Rising **

Faith ducked down next to the cave opening and peeked in. She could see the torch lit walls and shadows moving further down the corridor. She started into the cave when a hand grabbed her and pulled her back. She whirled, sword raised, and stopped when she saw Angel. He dropped her arm and smiled at her.

"Didn't think I'd let you take this on alone did you?" Faith looked over her shoulder and turned back to Angel, her face serious.

"There's at least two dozen Bringers right there, Angel. We're going to have to move fast if we're going to get to Connor." They both entered the cave, weapons ready. Faith walked in first, staying close by the walls of the cave with her sword ready. Angel stayed close behind her. They could tell the Bringers were moving further down the cave as the light faded from the cave mouth. Faith turned to Angel.

"Stay close." They followed the Bringer's into the cave.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

"Candace! Can you see anything?" Giles yelled to the short, brunette slayer who they had found two years ago in Austin, Texas. She had walked to the very top of the hill and looked down. She turned to Giles and shook her head.

"Sorry Giles! It's too dark down there and there's too much light up here!" Giles frowned and looked towards Chandra and Willow.

The crowd of spiritual ancestors had grown in the light surrounding Chandra and Willow. The spirits were so numerous that Giles could see the spirits standing in the slayer crowd. He could barely see the witches in the middle of the light. He was concerned for Willow because she could still go over to the dark magic if she lost control and he was concerned for Chandra as well because she was still new to her magic. Willow at least had years to learn how to gain control.

The whispering of the ancestors was getting louder as Giles saw Tara standing behind Willow. He knew that Willow had not yet seen her as she was still fully focused on Chandra and the Goban Talisman. The lights surrounding the witches spiraled quickly up into the air and then slammed back down into the talisman, throwing both Chandra and Willow to the ground.

"Chandra!" Spike started forward but Kira stopped him.

"Daddy, she's fine." Kira's eyes turned white and she immediately shook her head. "No more. I'm not doing this anymore, Cordelia." Her eyes cleared. Kira turned her small but serious face to her father, who stared at her in surprise. "I'm not listening to the Powers anymore. They want me to stop Willow and Mommy and make them bring out the demons but I know Mommy is right. We need to stop the Darkness for good."

"The child is right William." Chandra stood up with Willow. Spike turned towards them. Both witches were facing them, their eyes glowing silver. Chandra's hand clutched the talisman. She slipped it over her head. The pink flecked stone was bright with the power emanating from it. That's when Spike saw that the spirits of the ancestors had turned towards him as well and the voice he heard coming from Chandra's mouth was not her own. All the witches, alive and dead were speaking in unison.

"We no longer answer to the Powers That Be. They abandoned humans and left us to the demons. Now, we will fight and show the Powers that we are as strong as they are." The witches all turned to face the valley, listening to the battle of Bringers and Slayers from below. Suddenly, the air was still and quiet. The sounds of battle vanished. Giles and Xander looked at each other, each wondering if he had gone deaf. Then the voices all spoke at once.

"Let it be done."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Faith turned the corner with Angel right behind her. She saw three Bringers outside of the entrance to another cave.

"That must be it," she whispered and started forward. Angel grabbed her arm.

"Faith wait." She turned to argue and he pointed in front of them. A shadow that was too large to be a Bringer loomed on the wall in front of them. Whatever it was, it was heading right for them. Angel looked quickly around the cave and saw a narrow passageway to their right. He pulled Faith with him and squeezed into the passage, just as a large demon passed by them.

It was a vampire, that much Faith was certain. It looked like the Turok-Han, only it was a full two feet taller. It's claws were long and it's hands were as big as her head. They could feel the vibration of it's feet as it stalked quickly out of the cave. Bringers with knives rushed behind it.

"Tu Koth." Faith breathed. "Oh, god Angel. It'll be a slaughter if we can't warn them." She stuck her head out of the passageway when the last of the shadows passed by. Seeing that the path was clear, she and Angel hurried to the lit cave at the end where Angel could smell his son's scent.

"Connor!" Angel called. He could see Connor slumped in a chair in the center of the room. They ran to him and Faith cut the ropes from his wrists and ankles.

"Dad…Faith…you have to go…Darkness…coming back…" Angel slung him over his shoulder.

"We're leaving son. It's alright. We're leaving now." Angel and Faith turned and rushed out of the cave with Connor. Just as they reached the passage to the main cave, the earth began to move and the walls and ceiling began to crumble around them.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The rumble from the bottom of the hill sounded like a freight train. Xander strained to see but the girls in front of him blocked his view. Xander first turned to look at Chandra and Willow. The girls' silver eyes were focused blindly on the horizon, their lips moving silently in unison. Xander could see the light moving through them down into the ground and back into their bodies, like an electrical circuit. He hoped that they had tapped into the power of the Deeper Well. Just as he turned to Giles to ask what was happening when he saw a bloodied Vi running back up the hill with Kennedy, Janelle, Maggie and a handful of slayers right behind her.

"They're right behind us! Buffy, there's this thing…it's huge! It's bigger than the Turok Han. It killed a dozen of us before we could get away. Vi collapsed and Janelle and Maggie helped her behind the line. Maggie turned to Giles, her green eyes filled with fear.

"I don't know what it is Giles! It was so fast! It came out of nowhere!" Giles turned to Xander as Kennedy picked up the scythe that Vi had dropped.

"The Tu Koth. The Darkness must have succeeded in summoning it." He started to say more when he noticed that Angel and Faith were not back.

"Janelle, where is…" she turned her frightened face to meet his.

"Faith and Angel left to get Connor. We were ambushed before they got back." Kennedy turned to face the now terrified army of slayers.

"This is nothing! We can take it! We just have to…" she cut off and spun around, swinging the scythe to cut the Bringer behind her in two. The Bringers were advancing up the hill and behind them, they could see the giant vampire, the first vampire, the Tu Koth. All slayers raised their weapons and fell in line behind Kennedy.

"Let's take them out!" she yelled and the front line ran down to meet them.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Angel almost lost his grip on Connor when a large rock from overhead slammed into his shoulder. Gritting through the pain, he pushed forward, following closely behind Faith.

"It's Willow and Chandra," she yelled over the sound of the collapsing cave. "They've done it! They're going to destroy this place and bring down the Darkness." Angel put his free hand on her back and pushed her forward.

"Then let's get out of here so it doesn't take us down with it." He turned to look back and saw the heat rising from the chamber that he knew once held the bodies of the Old Ones.

"We have to move Faith. Something's coming!" She dared one look over her shoulder and felt the blast of the inferno that was gaining strength behind them. She turned and pushed forward, dodging the rocks and debris as the cave collapsed around them.

Angel could see the cave entrance and the moonlit sky that lay in front of it. Tightening his hold on Connor and grabbing Faith by the back of her jacket he dove outside just as the cave collapsed behind them.

Connor and Faith coughed as the dust and ash settled around them. The rumble in the ground had not stopped and the heat was rising faster behind them.

"Faith, we have to keep moving." He looked behind them and saw the red and orange glow growing brighter.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Spike! Watch your right side!" Buffy was screaming orders as she engaged the Bringers. She caught sight of little Kira jumping in the air to deliver a spin kick to the head of the Bringer who was attacking her before stabbing the Bringer who was trying to sneak behind her. Buffy almost laughed as she recalled Chandra insisting that she needed to help protect Kira and Dawn. If anything, Kira was protecting Dawn and Buffy was merely holding her own.

Giles and Xander fought hard to keep the hoards of Bringers away from Chandra and Willow. The ground continued to move beneath their feet and Giles thought he could make out Angel and Faith running up the hill supporting a badly injured Connor. The next thing he knew, Faith had taken Spike's position in the back and both vampires rushed down the hill to fight Tu Koth.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

When Spike saw Angel and Faith appear with Connor, he barely had time to think about where they had come from. Suddenly, Faith had her back against his.

"Spike! Go with Angel! I'll stay with Kira!" Spike didn't have to be told twice and immediately followed his grand-sire down the hill.

"What's the plan mate?" he asked as they fought their way through the Bringers and Slayers.

"We take out Tu Koth, before it gets to any more Slayers," Angel said, ducking to avoid a wooden stake before impaling the Bringer who wielded it on his sword. Spike brought up his own sword to take out two Bringers in front of him before punching and stabbing yet a third who was attempting to slit the throat of a Slayer.

"Sounds like a plan."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Dawn had not been training at all for the past six years. Buffy had insisted that she finish school in Rome. In the off hours, she would spend time with Andrew in Watcher training. Of course, she now knew that Andrew had become evil again shortly after Spike and Angel both showed up in Rome to talk to Buffy after the first fall of Wolfram and Hart. Still, she had worked on the books, not the swords.

Therefore, she was surprised that handling a sword and defending herself and Kira against the Bringers was just like riding a bike. She found herself attacking as much as defending. She was surprised when Angel and Faith suddenly appeared with a battered and bloodied Connor. Seeing him like that made her blood boil and she took her rage out on the Bringers. Angel and Spike took off after Tu Koth and Faith joined Dawn and Kira in the fight on the hill. Dawn remembered what Faith and Xander had told her. _Don't think. Follow your instincts. _True, she had almost been killed when a Bringer jumped on her from behind, one that little Kira had dispatched without blinking, but she was holding her own. She finally got a brief respite from the Bringer attacks and turned to Connor. He was lying on the ground, his eyes half closed. Faith and Kira had tried to keep him between the two of them but they had been forced to spread out, allowing room for a Bringer to grab hold of Connor and try to drag him off. Dawn sprinted to close the gap between them and ran her sword through the Bringer, grabbing Connor out of it's grasp. She knelt down next to him.

"Are you ok?" His eyes opened slightly and his lips parted in a silent _Thank you_. She brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes and looked at the man who had kissed her just two days prior. She forgot where she was as she touched his cheek and began to examine his wounds. She didn't notice the Bringer's foot that kicked her in the shoulder and knocked her down.

"Dawn!" That was Buffy but she sounded so far away. Dawn rolled over onto her back, her back and shoulder in agony. She could see the cloaked figure looming over her. She saw the knife raise up over her, the light from the fires and the full moon glinting off the blade. Dawn closed her eyes and prayed for it to be quick.

Connor reached up and grabbed the Bringer's arm, stopping the knife's descent. He knocked the Bringer to the ground, wrestling with it briefly before wrenching the knife out of the Bringer's grasp and bringing it down into it's chest. He turned quickly to Dawn.

"Are you ok?" She nodded. He helped her to her feet, handed her the sword and held the Bringer's weapon at the ready. Buffy joined the group and Faith, Kira, Connor, Dawn and Buffy all bunched together, preparing to fight the endless army of Bringers.

The Bringers all stopped. They were frozen in place, mid-fight. They all threw their heads back and a collective moan left their usually silent mouths. White light flooded from their sewn eyes and opened mouths. They were burning from the inside out from the same white light that emanated from Chandra and Willow. The Slayers all stopped and backed away. Every Bringer dropped to the ground, their robes collapsing as the being within them was reduced to ash.

That's when they saw the battle raging below between the two vampires with souls and the original vampire giant. Just behind them, they could see the Beast closing the distance across the now empty field.

The Darkness in the flesh. With the army from Hell behind it.

"Holy shit," whispered Faith.

"C'mon Chandra. Willow you can do it," muttered Buffy. Kira stood between her and Faith and reached up to take Faith's hand.

_We're going to win.._ Faith heard Kira's voice loud and clear in her head. The way Buffy snapped her head around, it was apparent she had heard as well.

"I know we're going to win midget," said Faith. She looked over at Buffy and their eyes met, understanding clear across their faces.

It wasn't a question of if they were going to win.

It was a question of who else was going to die.


	25. The Evil in the Hearts of Man

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 25-The Evil in the Hearts of Man**

Spike was glad he was a vampire. If he wasn't, he knew that he would be worthless in this fight and his girls would die. His main motivation, knowing that Kira and Chandra were both counting on him, was driving him to keep fighting back the Tu Koth.

Angel was trying to find some weakness with Tu Koth but was so far unsuccessful. He knew that the Darkness had used his son's blood to summon this thing from whatever dimension it had been holed up in for the past few millennia. His son had been tortured to give this thing new life. That alone spurned him forward to keep fighting.

_Daddy…Angel…be careful_ Kira's voice was serious and urgent as it echoed in their heads. _The Darkness is coming…and it brought help._ Angel turned quickly and saw the Beast walking across the field.

The first thing he saw was that it greatly resembled the Beast that came before Jasmine. It was huge, towering over even the Tu-Koth. It was not made of stone but it was solid and imposing none the less.

Angel returned to fighting the Tu Koth but could not ignore the waves of pure, undiluted evil that radiated from the direction of the Darkness. As he ducked the massive claws of the vampire giant, he began to pray Chandra and Willow were successful.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

The crowd on the hill grew silent as they watched the progression of the demonic army across the field.

Giles was moving his gaze from the witches to the battle below and back. While the Bringers had definitely been stopped, it was apparent that the Darkness was proving harder to defeat.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon," Xander said through clenched teeth. Everyone knew that if Chandra and Willow were unsuccessful that they were all dead.

Buffy, Faith and Kira stood together. Buffy wished she could be as calm as the little girl but she didn't have the gift of foresight to ease her panic. She had never been this scared before. Not when facing the Master, killing Angel, defeating the Mayor, destroying Adam, saving Dawn, or taking on the First. Because she knew that this was it. This was their final battle. Anything that came after this would be merely clean up if they could just make it through this final battle. She watched Spike and Angel fight Tu Koth, two vampires who she had loved and lost. They were down there, battling to save the world. She wanted to rally her troops, rush down the hill and join in but something held her back. She could hear Kira's voice in her head urging her to wait.

_It's not time Buffy._ Buffy nodded and turned towards Chandra and Willow.

The two witches stood side by side, still drawing on the power of the Deeper Well. Their hair flowed white, their eyes still silver and the two were almost indistinguishable from each other or from the spirits of the ancestors who remained visible. The Goban talisman glowed bright around Chandra's neck as the magic sealed within it was released. As Buffy watched, the golden snake circling the pink flecked stone of Goban's Hammer began to grow. It stretched and wove its way to encircle Willow's and Chandra's joined hands. The golden snake then spread out, wrapping around the ancestors wrists, seeking a further reach, linking everyone it touched. Kira grabbed Buffy's hand suddenly and yelled.

"Everybody join hands!" Startled, the army on top of the hill quickly grabbed onto their neighbor as the snake reached Duffy, the youngest slayer on the hill. It spread quickly, binding everyone together. Buffy could hear the gasps as the power flowed through them and understood once it reached her. She could hear everything. She could feel everyone. The snake was channeling the essence of all the connected magic in the world. The joined witches weren't enough. The Deeper Well wasn't enough. It needed more power, Slayer power, Dawn's power, Connor's power, Kira's power.

With all her might, Buffy focused hard on the advancing legion from Hell as the snake linked back to Chandra before arcing into the air to slam into the ground in front of them. Buffy could tell that it wasn't done.

It was searching for something else.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Angel! This is pointless man!" Spike said as he once again picked himself up after being thrown by Tu Koth.

"I know!" Angel shouted, trying vainly to find a weakness in the neck armor. They didn't have wooden stakes. The only chance they had was decapitation and the damn thing was well armored. "If we stop, it's going after everyone else and if we can't defeat it_" he almost dropped his sword when Tu Koth took a swipe at his arm with its massive claws. "There's no way any human, Slayer or otherwise, is going to stand a chance." Angel swung again at the neck but Tu Koth roared and sent him flying through the air. Spike swore and threw his sword aside.

"It's now or never," he mumbled to himself and jumped on Tu Koth's back. The first vampire tried to shake him off but Spike found the armor plating and held on. He jerked as hard as he could and felt the thick metal giving way. Growling with the effort, he gave another hard jerk and Spike found himself on the ground, the metal armor in his hands.

"Now mate! Hit it with your best shot!" Angel rushed forward and swung the sword high above his head, burying it deep into Tu Koth's exposed neck. It's head flew off and was already dissolving into dust as it's body crumbled. Spike lay on the ground, looked at Angel and smirked.

"Couldn't have done it without me could you old man?" Angel snorted and reached down to help him up. They both turned to face the Darkness and it's army.

"_Daddy,"_ Kira's voice resonated in Spike's head. _"Stay where you are."_ Spike saw Angel start towards the hoard of demons and grabbed his arm.

"Kira said wait."

"Wait for what?"

"I don't know. She's the seer, not me." Angel looked over at Spike.

"How exactly did a child of yours end up so damn powerful?" Spike shrugged.

"She's got my good looks and her mother's sense of style."

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Chandra could feel everything and everyone. She was not Chandra at the moment. She was one with the Earth, with Willow, with every witch in the world. Once they tapped into the power of the Deeper Well, completing it's destruction, she was no longer even aware of what was happening around her. Now that the Goban's Hammer she wore around her neck had woven itself through the crowd, she could see everything through the eyes of her friends. She heard the gasp beside her and knew that Willow could too.

"Tara." She felt Willow becoming disconnected, deliberately attempting to pull herself away and move towards the spirit that stood merely a few feet from her.

"_No Willow."_ The voice, soft but firm, echoed in Chandra's head. "_You have to focus. You have to finish this. I'll be here."_ Willow caught her breath and allowed her mind to rejoin the group.

Chandra felt the eyes turn back to the two vampires in the valley below. They were facing the demon horde that advanced quickly upon them.

_"Daddy, stay where you are." _Kira's voice echoed through their minds as she issued orders to Spike and Angel below. Kira seemed to be in control of the mind link and Chandra vaguely remembered what Charlotte had told her in San Francisco. About how Kira would have control of the human mind. Suddenly, they saw the ground cracking beneath Spike and Angel's feet. The golden snake of the fully connected hammer had made it's way to them.

It had found the power it needed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………

Angel felt the earth move under his feet again. He looked down and saw the ground cracking and shifting.

"Is it Chandra?" he asked Spike.

"Don't know mate," Spike answered, watching warily at the shifting earth under him. Earthquakes and demons were never good. Plus they had that fancy powerful talisman up there. Adding them up, Spike didn't like his odds for surviving this fight. Then the earth stopped moving.

The golden snake shot from the ground and hovered in the air in front of the two champions.

"What the hell?" asked Angel. But Spike understood immediately.

"Oh bollocks."

The snake wrapped around both vampires repeatedly, weaving in between the two of them, creating a golden figure eight. After several loops, the snake stopped and a golden aura encased the champions. With a sucking sound, the power of the talisman, the Deeper Well, the connected witches, slayers and the essence to the earth itself was absorbed by both vampires. Their faces vamped and their eyes glowed silver. Spike shook his head, relishing in the power that he had taken in. Killing a slayer and drinking her blood had never given him this much of a rush.

"Do you feel the power Angel?" Angel grinned.

"Oh yeah."

_"It's time," _Kira's voice resonated in their heads. _"It's time to win."_

Spike raised his chin and smiled.

"You heard my girl, old man." He grabbed the sword that lay at his feet. "Let's end it."

Angel grabbed his sword and the two champions rushed the Darkness and the army following it.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Xander could remember when they joined with Buffy in the spell to invoke the power of the first slayer. After all, you can't just forget becoming the heart of a Super Buffy. So it should have come as no surprise when he found himself thrust into Spike's brain.

_Of all the vampires in the world,_ Xander fumed as soon as he realized where he was. _I had to wander into this one._ He could hear a little girl giggle and knew that Kira had somehow arranged this on purpose. Probably as retribution for dissing her dad on more than one occasion, he mused. Or maybe this was payback for wrecking her tricycle on her fourth birthday when he was trying to teach her to pop a wheelie. Either way, he knew for sure that he was seeing out of Spike's eyes and hearing his thoughts. _And of course this happens to be a time when he's not picturing Chandra naked. Great. I don't get any perks._ He sighed and settled in to watch the battle from a front row view and then realized that Spike was draining his strength to boost his.

_That's what this whole joined hammer thing is about!_ Xander thought. _They're draining our strength to boost theirs. We really need that much juice to kill the Darkness?_

_Apparently we do, Xander. So why don't you shut up so I can concentrate? _Spike's thoughts roared at him. _Oh, and think of Chandra like that again and I'll kill you. _

Xander focused and was stunned when the first blow Spike landed on a demon resonated through his body like he had been the one doing the hitting. That felt good. Spike snapped the neck of the first demon and turned immediately to the next. Xander could hear the other voices talking and knew that he was put in Spike's head to be his eyes from the hill. He wondered who was in Angel's but Buffy's frustrated voice in his head yelling at him to focus finally put him on task.

_Spike, on your left._ Xander watched Spike turn and grab the blade of the sword that was swinging to decapitate him. Xander felt the blade cut into the the flesh of his hand just as it cut into Spike's. He realized that his life was tied to Spike's. If Spike died, he was dead too.

_Ok, Captain Peroxide, you win. We work together on this but afterwards, you owe me big._ He felt Spike's face erupt in a grin and a smug chuckle resonate from his throat.

_Nice of you to catch up Xander. Now just do me a favor and tell me what to hit next?_ Xander listened to Buffy's voice on the hill and relayed the instructions to Spike.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Buffy could feel the power flowing through her. She knew that she was just one chain on the circuit. She could hear Kira's voice in her head but she didn't seem to be connected to anyone else. She heard Kira giggle and looked at the little girl standing next to her. Kira met her gaze, her eyes twinkling. Buffy had never realized exactly how much this little girl looked like her father. She always had, of course, which is why it had unnerved Buffy to be around Kira or Chandra. The more Buffy saw Kira with Chandra, the more she saw the differences between them that were attributed to Spike. That little girl was the spitting image of Spike and, as Buffy now realized, she even had his evil little laugh that he had when he knew he had done something bad.

_Buffy, watch my dad's back and let Xander know what's going on. _Buffy looked down at Kira, her eyes wide with questions. _I put Xander in Daddy's head. He's going to help him win this but I need you to help Xander._ Buffy's head snapped left to look down the line and saw Xander standing there, his uncovered eye the same silver as Chandra and Willow's. She looked around quickly to see who was linked with Angel and saw Connor had the same silver eyes.

_Faith's helping Connor, you help Xander._ Buffy nodded and called a warning to Xander about the demon with the sword. Spike caught the blade in the nick of time and Buffy turned to see blood running from Xander's hand. She realized then that if Spike died, Xander died too. She focused on being his eyes and ears because Buffy was damned if Xander had survived this long to die at the end.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"How's it going for you mate?" Spike asked Angel, feeling a bit cocky about their chances in this fight. He felt strong and had quickly gotten used to Xander being in his mind. Spike felt he had eyes in the back of his head as Xander kept telling him exactly where to turn. Between Spike and Angel, they had plowed through the first wave of demons. The second wave appeared to be backing off, giving the champions an apparent break in the fight.

"Your witches are strong," roared The Darkness. "I may have underestimated your power. You may have tapped into the power of the earth but I still have the power of man. Evil is everywhere, in the hearts of every man, woman and child, just waiting for me to tap into it. You can't escape that."

"Yes we can," growled Angel. "We have our free will, our decisions, to choose right from wrong. Mankind doesn't have to choose evil." The Darkness laughed.

"And yet they do, time and time again. I have never felt such evil in the world since the time of my children. At that time, man was young, a parasite roaming the earth. Now it appears that when my children were destroyed, they passed their evil into the hearts of man. It flourishes, it grows. And as it grows, so does my strength."

"If you're so bloody strong," mocked Spike, "why would you need my daughter, a little girl, to summon your demons?"

"The girl was the sacrifice of innocence. The former key's blood could still be used to awaken my children. The half breed born of a vampire was needed to bring forth Tu Koth. And the blood of the demon was the last sacrifice I needed. Of course, I needed to control my children with the single most powerful weapon of good, Goban's Hammer. That would have made the balance complete."

"Since we're in this chatty mood, what happened to Ilyria?" Angel asked, still on the defensive.

"My daughter came to me, in my bound slumber, and asked to be restored to her full self. She was trapped in a human shell which was unable to contain her true power. I offered her life if she would set me free." The Darkness laughed. "She has joined my other children who defied me and bound me to the well.

"After that time, I drew on the power of the well. I called upon the remaining Bringers, my disciples, to come to me to do my bidding. As I regained my strength after centuries of bondage, I watched as they multiplied in numbers until we were ready to again seize power.

"You cannot stop us."

_Spike don't move._ Xander's voice sounded in his head.

_Dad, stay where you are. _Connor's voice issued the same instructions to Angel.

The Darkness started forward to engage in battle when the voice sounded loud from the earth.

_It is done._ The silver light in the eyes of the champions glowed bright and then they too were part of the circuit. The joined power of all the good magic, the Slayer line and the souls of the champions combined into the power that flowed through everyone and out through Spike and Angel. Their eyes, their mouths, their hands, their bodies all radiated the silver white hot power that enveloped The Darkness in a windstorm of white magic. The lesser demons disintegrated upon touching the vortex. It was only The Darkness that remained. It's body was slowly peeling away as the power ate into it's flesh like acid.

"You think you can kill me? You can never kill evil! So long as mankind has free will to choose evil, I will never die!" Spike laughed and Angel smirked.

"Want to make a bet on that?" With that, both champions didn't just let the power flow through them. They pushed it out and away from themselves, hitting the Darkness with the full force and causing the beast to scream in agony. It began to glow with the white hot light that had destroyed the Bringers and finally exploded in a rain of fire and ash.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The explosion sent all Slayers and Scoobies flying backwards, breaking their connection. Only Chandra, Willow and the ancestors remained joined and the snake of the hammer wound itself back into the necklace, glowed briefly, and then was simply an adornment of the jewel again.

Buffy rose slowly, feeling slightly drained but functioning. She looked down the hill but could only see ash and dust. She couldn't see Spike or Angel.

"Buffy, do you see anything?" asked Faith. Buffy shook her head and helped Faith to her feet. Kira had been the only one not knocked off her feet, probably because she knew what was coming and braced herself for the impact. She too was staring into the valley, a look of fear and anxiety on her face.

"I can't see what's happening. I don't know if they're alive or dead. I keep seeing it both ways." Her little voice caught and then she turned desperate eyes to her mother. "Mommy! Where's Daddy? Where's Angel?"

"Right here Little Bit." Spike's voice called from the side of the group. He and Angel made their way through the crowd. Janelle whistled and the rest of the Slayers quickly joined in, cheering loudly as the two champions made their way to the middle of the pack. Angel embraced Connor and Spike scooped up his daughter, holding her tight.

"It's over now, pet. The boogeyman is gone for good." He looked over to Chandra and Willow. They were no longer physically joined, their eyes and hair back to their natural color but the ancestors stood beside them as they all faced the crowd. Slowly, one by one, the ancestors began to fade away until only one remained. Tara walked forward to face Willow. She reached up and placed one hand on Willow's face and leaned forward until their foreheads touched. They stood like that for a moment before Tara stepped back and slowly faded away. Willow stared at the spot Tara's spirit had occupied.

"We got to say goodbye," she whispered. "We finally got to say goodbye." Chandra hugged her friend, knowing that Willow had finally accepted Tara's death after all these years. She had forgiven herself for not saving her and for moving on with Kennedy. After almost seven years, Willow had finally healed.

"What happens now?" asked Faith, looking around.

"Well, I guess we could head home," said Giles, a look of relief washing over his face.

"Sorry Giles." Everyone turned at the sound of Cordelia's voice. She walked through the group until she was only a few feet in front of Angel. "But we have a little matter to finish first." She glanced around at the Slayers before locking eyes with Angel.

"The Powers That Be have given me one last task. They have sent me here to tell you that the terms of the Shanshu prophecy have been fulfilled. Angel, you can become human again." The watching group gasped as Cordelia stretched out her hand to Angel. He stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry Cordy. What did you say?"


	26. Shanshu Fulfilled

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 26-Shanshu Fulfilled **

Cordy smiled.

"I said congratulations. The Shanshu prophecy has been fulfilled. The Powers decided that, even though you went against their direction, you have fulfilled the terms of prophecy and earned back your humanity." She smiled and held out her hand to Angel. He didn't move. She laughed.

"C'mon hero. This is so not the time to be shy." Angel shook his head.

"No."

The word echoed in the stillness. Buffy and Faith both turned, wide-eyed, to face Angel.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" asked Buffy. Connor stood silently nearby, his arms still around Dawn, her head resting on his shoulder. He looked at Angel and understood.

"He wants to stay a vampire." Faith turned on Connor.

"Why would he want to do that?" Connor met Angel's gaze.

"You should tell her Dad," he said, motioning towards Buffy. Buffy looked from Angel to Connor.

"Tell me what?" Angel closed his eyes and looked pained.

"Buffy, do you remember when you came to LA to yell at me for showing up in Sunnydale but not letting you see me?" Buffy thought back and remembered how hurt and angry she was that he had the nerve to decide when it was appropriate for him to appear in her life.

"Yes, I remember."

"That wasn't how it was supposed to happen." Buffy looked confused and glanced over at Faith who looked as surprised and confused as she. Chandra and Willow both gasped. Angel turned quickly and saw surprise, shock and understanding cross both witches faces as Chandra read the thoughts and memories screaming through his head.

"When you came to visit me, Buffy, a demon attacked me. It's blood mixed with mine and it made me human. We were both thrilled. It was a miracle…until we went after that demon and I couldn't fight it. You had to risk your life to save mine…and I couldn't have that. If I had stayed human, you would not have any back-up, no second front, in the war on evil. You would have died, Buffy, and I would have been to blame. I knew that I needed to keep helping the helpless and atone for my past sins as well as be there to back you up. So, I went to the Oracles and had them rewind time to just before you arrived. When the demon attacked, I knew how to kill it. You yelled at me and then you left. You didn't remember that one day of absolute happiness we had.

"I learned that I can't become human. I have a job to do and I can't do that as a human." He turned to Cordy.

"So I have to tell the Powers thanks but no thanks." Angel turned to look at Spike who was standing next to Kira, her head leaning against him, his hand softly stroking her hair. "Besides, I think that Spike has earned it." Spike stared incredulously at Angel. Not looking away, Angel continued.

"You were right, Spike. Drucilla sired you, but I made you a monster. I showed you the fun and the excitement of the hunt and the thrill of taking a human life. I taught you to relish it, to savor it, to drag it out for as long as possible. All of that was so outside of your nature that it took you awhile to accept it. You're different than other vampires, Spike. You always have been. You didn't suffer as long as I did when I got my soul back. That's because you were suffering more without one. I need to stay a vampire; you need to be a human again." Spike's eyes narrowed.

"If you think you're going to get in good with the Powers by playing the sodding martyr_" Angel cut him off.

"Spike, it's not a trick or a joke. I'm saying that you have earned the right to be human because I owe it to you. You can handle being a human. You had a life before this one. You were loved and you knew how to love. That was something I never knew which is why it was so easy to become Angelus. You had to work and prove yourself to be Spike and not William. _I_ made you work and prove it. I goaded you into doing ninety percent of the things you did, even when I wasn't around. I made you feel you had to prove yourself as a vampire and as a man." Angel looked from Kira to Chandra and back to Spike.

"You have a family. You deserve to be able to enjoy that without the blood lust." Angel then turned to Cordelia.

"Spike is as eligible for the Shanshu as I am, more so than I am. Give him the opportunity that he deserves." With that, Angel turned and began walking away from the group.

"Angel wait." He turned to Chandra and Willow. Both witches began to chant quietly. He felt a weight being lifted from the center of his being. His soul, of which he was always aware, felt hotter and more a part of him than ever before. The fire it generated burned hotter, sealing itself into his flesh, before it finally cooled. As soon as it was over, both witches collapsed. Chandra looked up, tears in her eyes.

"We used the last of the magic of the Deeper Well to bind your soul to your body, Angel. No matter what happens now, gypsy curse or no gypsy curse, you can never again lose your soul. Angelus is dead and gone forever." Spike had hurried over to the girls when they had collapsed and both he and Giles helped them to their feet. Chandra held on to Spike, still weak and drained. She looked at Cordelia.

"Well, are the Powers going to allow Spike to become human or not?" Cordelia pursed her lips and walked over to them.

"You know Chandra, you and I probably wouldn't have liked each other much. We're too much alike. However, what Angel said is true. Spike's as eligible for the Shanshu as Angel is, that is, if he wants it." For once, words failed Spike. He could only nod. Cordelia reached out her hands and he took them in his.

The pain that coursed through his body was excruciating. Rejection by first Chandra then Cecily, becoming a vampire, digging out of his own grave, falling in love, receiving his soul, dying in the Hellmouth, returning through the amulet in Angel's office…none had been as painful as that of his body healing itself. He could feel his blood thinning in his veins, his lungs inflating, the painful need to breathe and, finally the rhythmic beat of his heart, thudding painfully against his ribs. He fell to his knees, the sound of his own blood thudding in his ears, drowning out everything around him. He looked up, his vision blurry. He was unable to focus. He could hear his name being called and turned to see Chandra looking at him with concern. He stood up on shaking legs and reached for her hand, taking it and placing it on his chest. He was finally aware of the reason for his blurry vision when the warm tears spilled over and down his face. Chandra reached her hand up to touch his no longer cool face.

"Oh my god, William. You're back." With that, Chandra threw her arms around him and kissed him. His lips were warm and she could feel his heart beating faster as she pressed herself against him. Suddenly he pulled away, laughing.

"Have to catch my breath love." He gasped for a second and laughed again. "Long time since I've had that problem." Chandra felt the tears of joy well up again and blinked them away.

"It was over one hundred years ago since I last took your breath away." She leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Now everything is back to the way it should be." She heard the laughter of the slayers around her and Kennedy letting out a wolf whistle. Feeling the eyes on her, she looked to where Angel, Buffy and Faith were standing and mouthed "_Thank you_." Angel and Buffy smiled back. Faith winked, kissed two fingers and pointed them at her. Then, she heard Maggie scream.

The three Wolfram and Hart bounty hunters had reappeared.

"You're not done with us Witch," said the largest one. "The bounty still stands. In fact, it's doubled. And we mean to collect." Chandra glared at them.

"Not only are you slow but you're extremely stupid. You really think you're going to take me out with an army of slayers right here?" The largest one laughed.

"Not you, Witch." He summoned a fireball in one hand and pointed the other at Kira, who had moved away from Spike when Cordelia approached him. "We want the Seer." Chandra saw that no matter what she did, there was no way she could get Kira in time. She heard Willow trying to cast a spell but she was still depleted. Kira froze, a look of horror and fear on her face. Worse still, was the knowledge of her fate that was clear in her eyes. Chandra screamed.

"No!" The bounty hunter threw the fireball directly at Kira.

Faith knocked her out of the way just before the fireball could hit the girl, taking it in the side of her chest and hitting the ground rolling, extinguishing the fire before it could spread. She lay still, her clothing still smoking.

At once the slayers, led by Kennedy, charged the bounty hunters. Chandra couldn't see what was happening, didn't care. She only cared about her friend, who was now lying motionless on the ground just four feet away from Kira. Her best friend, who had just saved her daughter. She ran to Faith's side with Spike, Giles, Willow and Xander right behind her. They were joined by Angel and Buffy. Connor was holding Dawn and trying to keep her from looking. Angel rolled Faith over.

"Faith, come on!" He leaned over and felt a very faint breath. "She's alive." He looked at Giles, who knelt beside her. Her shirt and jacket were burned. Burns of various degrees covered her hands, arms, chest and neck. She was bleeding from her abdomen.

"There's nothing I can do for her." Giles looked from Willow to Chandra. "Do you have the strength to heal her?" Chandra grabbed Willow's hand and both witches tried to draw in enough energy to perform any spell but they were both too drained.

"I can't do it Giles," Willow said, her voice barely above a whisper. Chandra choked back a sob as she struggled again to draw on some power but was unable to feel more than a spark. "_No. Not Faith!" _She told herself, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. Suddenly, Faith drew in a ragged breath and opened one eye.

"Angel…" He took her hand and pushed her hair off of her face.

"Faith, come on. You'll be fine. You'll pull through this." She smiled slightly.

"Not this time boss." She turned her head slightly and looked at Chandra.

"Kira…" Chandra smiled at her.

"Kira's fine, Faith." Faith nodded and winced in pain. She drew in another ragged breath. Her eyes focused on the sky above her.

"Angel…do something for me." He squeezed her hand gently and tried to speak around the lump in his throat, the tightening of his chest.

"Anything, Faith, you know that." She smiled again and closed her eyes.

"Be…happy…Angel." She drew in another breath and opened her eyes again, arching her back in pain. Angel touched her cheek.

"Faith, you'll be ok. We'll get you fixed up and you'll be fine." She finally looked at him before closing her eyes and smiling one last time.

"Sure boss….five by five…" Her last words used her last breath.

Every ounce of joy and excitement that had been building in the air faded as the remaining Slayers joined them in the crowd surrounding Faith. Kira was crying. Maggie picked her up and carried her away, cooing to her in Gaelic. Chandra felt the lump in her throat move to her chest and found she could barely breathe. She heard Kennedy, Vi and Janelle behind her talking to Giles. Xander leaned over and spoke quietly to Spike who rose and followed Xander back to where Giles was standing with the girls. Kennedy's face was hard and her eyes furious.

"We saved one of them. The smaller of the three. We thought that it would be important to find out who sent them." She motioned over to where Candace, Duffy and Katie were holding the smaller bounty hunter down while Alex stood over it holding the scythe. Giles strode purposely over to it and, without a word, began beating on the defenseless demon.

"Giles! Stop!" Xander tried to pull him off but Giles spun blindly and punched Xander, knocking him down. Spike jumped on Giles, knocking him over. Giles tried to fight him but Spike had him on the ground and quickly pinned his arms behind him.

"Rupert! Enough!" Spike didn't relax his grip until he felt Giles stop fighting. When Spike released his arms, he helped Giles to his feet. Giles walked over to Xander, an apology on his lips but he was unable to speak. Wordlessly, Xander clapped his hand on Giles' shoulder and the three men rejoined the slayers around the bounty hunter. Giles knelt down to face the demon.

"Now, who sent you?" The demon shook his head.

"I can't tell you." Giles reached behind him and picked up a knife from the ground. He fingered the blade and focused on it while addressing the demon.

"We know that Wolfram and Hart hired you to kill Chandra and her family twenty years ago in order to change the past. When you didn't succeed and you were unable to locate her all those years, why didn't Wolfram and Hart kill you?" The demon looked from the men to the slayers and finally to the sword in Giles' hands.

"If I tell you, they'll kill me." Kennedy kicked it in the head.

"If you don't, we kill you. Looks like it's lose lose for you either way."

Giles brought the knife to the demon's chest and made a serious of shallow cuts with the blade. Big though he was, the demon still pulled back from the pain.

"The Senior Partners wanted the Seer destroyed. They…" the demon stopped suddenly, shaking violently. Giles pulled Duffy back and yelled at the other Slayers to back off. With an unworldly scream, the demon was engulfed in a ball of fire.

"Hmmm…that was a waste of resources." Angel snapped his head around when he heard Lila's voice. She stood just behind Chandra and Willow, who quickly backed away from her.

"Lila. What the hell are you doing here?" Angel's voice was more of a growl.

"So happy to see you too Angel." She looked around, a faint smile on her lips. "Nice little setup you've got here. All these little girls, just ripe for killing…" She looked pointedly at Faith's body and then covered her mouth in mock chagrin.

"Oops. Sorry." She giggled. "Too soon?"

**A/N Yes, I really did just kill Faith. I'm sorry, I really am. I tried to finish this with Faith still around but I couldn't end it the way I wanted too. It sucks too because Faith is my favorite slayer. Please forgive me and keep reading. **


	27. Life’s New Direction

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Chapter 27-Life's New Direction**

"You fucking bitch!" Chandra dove at Lila, wrapping her hands around her neck and attempting to squeeze the life out of her. Angel pulled Chandra off of Lila and helped her up.

"Never thought I'd say 'thank you' to you Angel but_" Angel cut Lila off by punching her, knocking her back to the ground.

"Don't start thanking me now Lila. I didn't want Chandra killing you because that's my job." Lila smiled.

"And I thought you were smarter than that, Angel. You can't kill what's already dead. Besides, even if you could kill me, why would you? When I've got such a magnificent tidbit of information for all of you?" Spike snorted.

"Anyone else feeling the Deja-vu? Wolfram and Hart, resident Big Bad, has a message for the likes of us. Sing us another tune. We've been there, done that, got the t-shirt." He was holding onto Chandra and realized that he was having a hell of a time controlling her. She was wearing him out and he didn't know how long he could hold her back.

"Oh William the Bloody, I'm so happy you were the proud recipient of the Shanshu Prophecy. Bravo." Lila sat up and clapped slowly and deliberately to enhance the sarcasm in her voice. "So, how does it feel to be human again? Getting a little tired? Think you're still going to be able to satisfy an insatiable Slayer in the bedroom when you don't have the super endurance anymore?" She smirked and winked at him. "Want to get this wrapped up so you can run home and find out?"

"What do you want Lila?" Angel asked. She stood, taking her time. When Angel cleared his throat, she looked up from brushing off her dress to roll her eyes.

"I've come to relay a message from the Senior Partners."

"That much we got," said Buffy, stepping forward and crossing her arms. The other slayers fell in behind her, their sadness and grief changing to rage as they stared at the person responsible for Faith's death. "So why don't you tell us something we don't know?"

"The message is you win, for now anyway. You destroyed the Darkness, something even they couldn't do. They realize that they don't stand a chance against all of you at this time and they are pulling out. Apocalypse off for now." She grinned and did a little mock cheerleader double fist pump in the air. "Yay!" Spike and Angel both stepped towards her.

"If you were giving up," Spike began, his words icy. "Then why double the bounty and send in your goons to kill my daughter?" Lila rolled her eyes again.

"You don't actually think that they will give up this dimension forever do you? After they fought for so long to control it?" Lila stepped towards Kira and placed a hand on her head, sliding down her hair to cup the little girl's chin. Kira jerked her head away and gave Lila a look that reminded Angel of Spike in the old days right before a kill.

"The little one, snippy that she is at this age, would be able to warn you when Wolfram and Hart decides to return. Our prophets and shamans tell us that she is the most powerful seer of her generation and that the power she has over the human mind is second to none. We would love to get our hands on her, strap her to a table, and dissect her brain to see what she knows," Lila turned towards Chandra, who had almost broken past Spike this time. Connor was the one who restrained her. Lila continued.

"However, we know that Mama Bear wouldn't let that stand so the Senior Partners decided to just do away with her. Take away your early warning system. Chandra was prophesized to be the key to their downfall and her child is the roadblock to their return. So, figure you probably have another eighty to ninety years of Wolfram and Hart free days, unless unfortunate circumstances arise before then. Lucky you. Of course," she smirked, "we're not above engineering these 'unfortunate circumstances' so don't get too comfy." Lila turned around and walked away from the group. When she was about fifty yards away, she turned back.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The Senior Partners had a special message for you Angel." She smiled at him.

"What was that?" He asked bracing for the worst.

"See you around." With that, a tower of flames shot up and consumed Lila, taking her back to hell.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

They had slowly made their way to Pershore. Giles had called ahead to speak with an old friend who gladly opened up the hotel he owned as a rest stop for the girls. While most of the girls went with the Scoobies, Giles and Buffy allowed a good number to just go home. They were the younger ones, the ones who had just witnessed their first non-demonic death. They had a lot to process and Giles knew that the group had a long row to hoe when it came to rebuilding their confidence as slayers.

Chandra and Willow had walked together in silence, the witches supporting each other. Spike carried Kira who was still crying softly into his shoulder. When Angel walked up beside them, Kira lifted her head and stared at him solemnly. Her powerful grief wracked little mind was able to fully feel and understand Angel's pain. She knew she had to do something to make him feel better. He had to give him Faith's message that she left him right before she died. The one she only thought and did not say.

"Daddy, let me walk with Angel." Spike set her down and the little girl reached up and took Angel's hand. She tugged gently on his arm, forcing him to look down at her.

"It's ok to cry, Angel. She said that she loved you too." Angel stopped walking and picked Kira up, embracing her in a bear hug as his shoulders shook and he finally gave into his grief. Spike turned back to catch up with Chandra and Willow, who had stopped walking as Willow began to cry. Kennedy had left her group to go to Willow which left Chandra momentarily alone. Spike cautiously put his hand on her shoulder. When she didn't turn to him, he started to pull his hand away but Chandra immediately grabbed onto him. She looked up into his face and he felt every emotion that she was feeling. The link between them had not been severed. He knew that he was tied to her forever now and he could hear every thought that was going through her head.

_I should have stopped them._

_I can go back and fix it._

_She's not dead. I'll call D'Hoffryn and he'll make her better. He owes me that much. She's cannot be dead._

_Spike, please tell me she's not dead. _

At this last thought, the tears started and the choked sobs finally tore from her throat. Spike caught her just before she collapsed to the ground. Kneeling beside her, he held her to him and stroked her hair.

"It's alright love. Let it out. You did nothing wrong, you hear?" He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes.

"This is not your fault. Not yours, not Willow's, not anyone on this road. There was nothing you could do. I don't care if you were both powerful enough to harness all the magic of the world. You're both still human. You're bodies can only take so much and those Bounty Hunters knew it. They are the guilty parties here, not any of you. Faith saved our daughter. She did what she felt she had to do and if you were to go back, I doubt it would play out any differently." He could see her draw breath to argue with him but he shook his head. "You can't go back and change what happened. Remember what you told us the night we went back to find Ilyria? Don't try to save Gunn. Just let what happened happen. I'm telling you now: You cannot go back and try to save Faith. It's done now and we can't fix that." His voice choked off as he spoke those last words and they both sat in the middle of the road, holding each other as they grieved the friend who had brought them back together.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The day of Faith's funeral arrived. Giles had made the arrangements with a minister whom he had known from his early twenties. Those wild times all those years ago had sent so many members of their group into so many different directions.

Buffy and Chandra sent most of the Slayers back to their assigned posts. They did not need to draw attention to themselves and a hundred slayers in the cemetery of a small, rural church in the English countryside was sure to be noticed. Only those that lived in Ireland and who had worked closely with Faith were there. The others had all paid their respects at the hotel in Pershore where they were staying.

It was a somber group that gathered at Faith's graveside. Buffy, Xander, Willow, Dawn and Giles sat in the chairs. Kira sat in Giles' lap, her little face streaked with tears. Chandra, Janelle, Maggie, Connor, Vi, and Kennedy stood behind them. Connor held Dawn's hand, just as he had done every day and every night since the battle.

In the shadows of the trees behind the church, Angel and Spike stood together watching in silence.

"You should go be with Chandra, Spike. You don't have to hide in the shadows anymore." Angel didn't move his eyes from the mahogany casket that held the body of the girl he had loved, the girl who he now realized had loved him too. Spike put his hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Nah mate. She's got her friends. You need the company more than she does." Angel almost laughed. Then he remembered that one night with Faith and sobered immediately. They had fallen in love with each other that night but had never had an opportunity to talk about it again. He loved Buffy and he loved Faith and Faith had been willing to stand to the side and wait for him to make his choice. And now, with the threat of losing his soul gone, Angel didn't know what he wanted anymore. Spike glanced over at him.

"She's at peace. Another angel to watch over us, so to speak. She's fighting the good fight with Fred, Wes and Gunn now." Angel nodded but didn't answer. Instead, he strained to hear the minister as he finished speaking.

The minister closed his Bible and looked towards the casket.

"And so, it is with great sorrow that we commit our sister, Faith Lehane, to the Earth. She was a strong woman, loved by many and she served her duty well in this realm. Lord, may she be allowed continue Your work in Heaven. Let us pray." He bowed his head, and the others followed suit. Angel heard a tortured sob escape from Willow and watched as Kennedy moved around to kneel in front of her. Willow still blamed herself for allowing Faith to die. She felt that, as the most powerful witch in the world, she should have been able to have at least done something, anything. No amount of arguing from any of the Scoobies could convince her otherwise.

"How's Chandra holding up?" Angel had barely seen Chandra since they had arrived in Pershore. She had locked herself in her room, allowing only Kira and Spike in to see her.

"She blames herself, same as Willow, but that wasn't why she was hiding. She just couldn't stand hearing everyone's thoughts and emotions in addition to her own. She said it was driving her crazy because she couldn't control her powers enough to shut it off. She's doing better now that the majority of the crowd has left. Her grandmother called her last night and they spoke for over an hour. She was a lot calmer after she got off of the phone. She's going to be fine." Spike hesitated, as if unsure of whether he should continue. The funeral was over and Chandra had walked over to Giles to collect Kira. He hugged her tightly and asked her a question that she answered with a quick nod. Giles kissed her cheek, patted Kira's head and walked over to help Kennedy console a stricken Willow. "We're going back to California tomorrow." Angel glanced over at Spike whose gaze was focused solely on his girls.

"What time are you leaving?" asked Angel. His eyes caught Buffy's across the cemetery and she smiled slightly at him before turning to hug Xander.

"We're going back to Dublin to pack and then catching the first flight out to San Francisco. Chandra wants to spend some time with her grandmother and learn more about her family." Angel could still hear the hesitation in Spike's voice.

"Then what are you planning on doing? Are you still going to get married?" Spike shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm not sure what Chandra wants now. Over the past few nights whenever I've brought it up, she just says that her plans had always included Faith being there and that she can't see what's to happen now that Faith's gone." Spike sighed and looked away from the crowd. "Angel, I feel like I'm losing her all over again. She's pulling away from me and won't let me comfort her. She won't even let me hold her when she cries in the night and I don't know what else I can do for her. She's shut me out completely. I'm still linked to her but it's like she keeps slamming the bloody door to her mind in my face." Angel sought out Chandra in the crowd. She was holding Kira's hand and talking to Dawn and Connor but she kept glancing over to Spike.

"She's grieving, Spike. She just lost her best friend, the first person in her life who was completely honest with her. You have to give her time before you…" Spike cut him off.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to leave her, Angel. To leave her would mean leaving Kira. But who's to say she's not planning on leaving me? I'm not a vampire anymore. There's nothing exciting about me now, is there? I'm just plain old William the Bloody bad poet again." Angel snorted.

"You actually think she was only with you because you were a vampire? She loves you, Spike. Faith told me that when Buffy lied to Chandra and told her you were dead, Chandra cried for days thinking that you were gone. You don't grieve for someone that much and for that long if you don't love them." Angel put his hand on Spike's shoulder, forcing Spike to turn to face him.

"Go to San Francisco with her. Give her time. Eventually, you'll get married, you'll have a bunch more babies and then you'll live the happily ever after fairy tale you were never supposed to have." Spike smiled.

"Thanks to you. I owe you one, Angel. This should be your happy ending mate, not mine." Angel shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

"I was never big on fairy tales." He turned to walk back into the church to wait for Buffy. When he reached the steps, he paused and Spike heard a little chuckle escape Angel's throat. "Just name one of your boys Liam and we'll call it even," he said over his shoulder. Spike smiled and looked back towards Chandra. She was watching him intently now. Kira peeked around her mother and waved to him. He cocked his head and raised his eyebrow in a silent question. Chandra smiled, the first time she had done so in days, and held out her hand in a silent invitation to join them.

_I love you William. Let's go home._

He smiled at Chandra's voice in his head and quickly walked over to join his family.


	28. Epilogue

**A/N: You know the drill now. What's Joss' is Joss' what's mine is mine. **

**Epilogue-Seven Years Later**

**From the diary of Kira Pratt**

It's been seven years since that battle on the hill and in that field, empty save for the fallen trees, the Bringers, the Tu-Koth, the Darkness in the flesh, and the demons that I can't even begin to name. Seven years…I'm fourteen now and I still have nightmares. My dad said that he still dreams of things that he did a hundred years ago so I guess I have a while to go before the nightmares end.

I took over my mother's slayer power this last year. It was actually a simple spell that Willow performed with the scythe. Now, instead of merely tapping into her strength, I am a slayer. Not that it's new or anything but, like Xander says, it's nice that it's finally official. I just wish Aunt Faith was still here to see it happen. I miss her something terrible. Buffy tries but she's just not the same.

After the battle and my father became human, he and my mother were married. My dad wanted the ceremony to be on the beach in the sunlight but he also wanted Angel to stand with him and not a pile of ashes so he and Mom were married on the beach just after sunset. My grandmother Charlotte, as matriarch of my mother's family, officiated. Giles gave my mom away. Mom was beautiful and she cried and I know it was because Faith was gone. It was Faith who finally told her that my father was still alive and put everything that happened in motion. Faith died protecting me when the bounty hunters attacked but she should have lived to see me now, see what I have become. I know she would have been proud of who I am. I can't say any more about my Aunt Faith other than I miss her.

It still plays with my head that the only reason I'm alive was because my mother went back in time to meet my father before he became a vampire…ugh. I don't even want to think about that. Why Mom ever felt compelled to share those little details with me last year, I'll never know. It had something to do with some very awkward sex talk that I really could have done without. She was quick to point out that at least my brother and sister were conceived in a normal way, my brother as a honeymoon baby and my sister when my parents took an extended trip to London. My brother, Liam, is six and my sister, Faith Ann, is almost five. We got a surprise last year when Mom found out she was pregnant again and were even more surprised when we found out she was expecting twins. In a few months, I'll have another little brother and sister.

Other than becoming a baby machine, my mom is still a very accomplished witch. There may not be the ultimate evil roaming the planet but there are plenty of vamps and various other demons hanging around. Mom can still destroy a room full of demons with her magic but my new little sister is messing with her powers. She's caused Mom's spells to be either weaker or stronger than she intended and has even managed to teleport mom from her bed to the kitchen in the middle of the night. She's going to be a handful. She'll probably summon Mom, Dad, or I to her side whenever she's hungry or needs to be changed. She may not be born into the "perfect storm" of good magic in this world but she's going to be a powerful bugger. She'll have to spend a lot of time with Giles and Willow to learn how to control her powers or Willow will have no choice but to bind her until she's much, much older.

My dad has adjusted to life as a normal human. He stays home with us kids, "out of your mum's way" as he puts it, and works a lot with Giles and Connor doing research. The first time I saw him poring over a pile of books that Giles had given him, his wire frame glasses on and a frown of concentration on his face, I about fell over. Don't get me wrong, my dad can still kick ass and I can still see some of the vampire fire in his eyes that I remember from when I first met him but he feels it's better that he protect the little ones at home and help Giles get the new Watcher Academy up and running while my mom and I patrol. I think that he finally has what he has always wanted: a family. My mom, myself, Liam, Faith Ann and the soon to be new twins are his life now. Once he became human he even took back his human name, William Pratt. The only one who still calls him Spike is Angel and I think he does that just to annoy my dad. I love my father to pieces and we are extremely close. He says that I am more like he was as Spike than he ever was as William but for the fact that I think with my brain. In other words, I can be an impulsive smart ass but I've got enough sense to know when to quit and get serious. He is the one that I can go to about anything and know that he will never judge me. As he says, anyone who has done the things that he did has got no business throwing stones. I can remember how he used to rock me to sleep and sing to me both when he was a vampire and after he became human. To this day, when I hear his voice or his laugh, I know that I am safe and loved.

To make his human transformation complete, he stopped bleaching his hair and let it go natural, which is my shade of brown. This made me feel better about not being a blond like Mom. He doesn't slick it back anymore and instead lets it stay curly which makes us look even more alike. Dad said that I look a lot like his mother when she was young. That works out great because both Liam and Faith Ann look more like Mom than Dad. I think he was in his early thirties when he was turned and now that he's human again, his hair is slightly graying at the temples and it is driving him crazy. It's made him realize that he's aging again. I told him it makes him look distinguished like Giles but I don't think that convinced him. In fact, I'm pretty sure that made it worse. On the other hand, Mom must not mind, especially since they're having more kids. They still give each other that look and then they go to their room and lock the door. Again, ick. It's times like that I'm glad I'm not having any kind of mind link with Mom anymore. I'm just glad that they're still blissfully happy. After going to my friends' houses and seeing their parents divorced or barely talking, it's great to come home and see my mom snuggled up next to Dad on the couch while he checks out potential Watcher profiles, his hand resting on her leg or my dad just leaning over to kiss Mom for no reason other than he walked into the room she was in. Buffy told me when I was ten, and complaining about the constant mushiness, that my mom and dad were meant to be together. My grandmother Charlotte told me the same thing so I really shouldn't complain about the excessive PDA. I hope I have the same thing when I meet the man I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with, even if that doesn't happen for awhile.

I'm staying the summer with Angel and Buffy. Angel is better with the slayer training than Buffy though I'd never let her know. It would probably hurt her feelings. Angel, of course, has a lot of inside knowledge about how vamps think, move, and operate that he shares with me. Since William the Bloody becoming human is such a big story in the vampire world, Dad is afraid of his sire, Drucilla, looking him up to destroy our family or trying to turn him again. Dad and Angel both have said that it would be poetic justice if Spike's daughter killed his sire and that I am definitely strong enough, not to mention I'm completely willing to take her out if she comes after us. Just so we're ready, Angel is giving me some super intensive inside knowledge of Drucilla and what the four of them did all those years ago. Things that my dad would rather I not know but he understands why it's important that I do. Learning that my dad killed so many people, including two slayers, and that the only reason he even moved to Sunnydale was to kill Buffy, doesn't make me love him any less nor do I judge Angel for anything he did. I still can't believe that Angel gave up a chance at humanity though I am grateful that he gave it to my dad. I'm very glad Willow and Mom used the last shred of connected magic to break the curse that kept Angel from being happy. Now he can "enjoy life to the fullest", as my dad puts it, without turning evil. Don't know what exactly that means and I have a feeling I don't want to know. All I know is that he and Buffy moved in together right after my parents wedding and have this whole "destined love" thing going on. I don't know what they are going to do in a little bit because Buffy has gotten older and Angel, of course, has not. I think my mom and Willow have talked about a spell but so far they haven't found anything that would keep Buffy from aging short of turning her into a vampire and then re-ensouling her, which Angel will not allow them to do. Right now, Buffy looks great and the apparent difference in their ages is not so pronounced. My dad jokingly told Buffy he was going to have to start calling her a cougar and then she asked him when he was going to pick up his Viagra prescription. The four of them, my mom, dad, Buffy and Angel are all very close now and can talk like that without coming to blows, unlike it was when we first found my dad and Buffy and Mom hated each other.

Connor and I are very close; mainly because we have the vampire as a dad bond, even though mine is now a human. He's become my big brother and is very protective of me. Anything I can't ask Mom, Dad or Angel I can ask Connor and get an honest answer. I did talk to Connor a few months ago about what he thought about his dad being with his wife's sister and he said that part was a little creepy at first but he got over it. I mean, now Connor and Angel look to be the same age and in another five years, Connor will probably look older than Angel. You can't get any more twisted then that. Connor and Dawn got married six years ago. I got to be the flower girl. They have a little girl they named Jocelyn Destiny, Jocelyn after Dawn's mother Joyce (Dawn wanted it to be similar but not exactly the same.) and Destiny, since that was what brought them together. Dawn had such a hard time with her pregnancy and labor that they can't ever have any more kids which is sad but they love little Jocelyn to pieces. She's the same age as Faith Ann. They were actually born two months to the day apart. Angel has spoiled her rotten. Actually, Angel took his role as "Uncle Angel" very seriously and spoiled all of us kids, though only Liam, his namesake, and Faith Ann call him that now. To me, Angel is more like my big brother than an uncle. I think it's weird that Angel is a grandpa since he looks so young but no one says anything. Jocelyn and Faith Ann both think his vamp face is silly and they try to mimic him which everyone finds very amusing.

Willow and Kennedy are still together. I think that they love each other very much and that Willow has finally let go of her guilt for Tara and for not being able to heal Faith. When Tara appeared with the ghosts of the other ancestors, I thought Will would lose it. I think, though, that Tara somehow let Willow know that she was ok and that she wanted Willow to be happy. Willow and Kennedy still live in Rio and they were planning on coming into town after the babies are born, as Willow will perform the blessing. I called her last week, after the baby girl locked the doors to keep mom from going patrolling with me, and filled Willow in on the baby's powers so she will be coming in next month to help my mom deal with a magical newborn. When Liam and Faith Ann were born, Mom lost the use of her powers for a week afterwards due to sheer exhaustion so I can't imagine how long she'll be incapacitated when the twins are born. Besides, who knows what the little troublemaker is doing to her brother in there or what she has planned for after she's born as she is already able to block me from reading her. The only thing I can sense is that they are both very happy and content and love it when Dad sings.

Giles stayed in Dublin. If anyone was to fall under grandfather status, it would be Giles though I would never tell him that because he's as touchy about looking his age as Dad. Maggie, Janelle and a handful of the older slayers live in his huge house. Janelle jokingly calls him Hugh Hefner, which Giles says he doesn't like very much but I've seen him hide a smile when she's called him that. I asked my dad what that meant and he gave me his standard answer: ask me again when you're thirty. They are all searching for the next generation of slayers because we don't know whether Willow's spell has been an automatic thing with the next generation. Giles is worried about an entire generation of babies, all with slayer strength, either being born or having already been born to unsuspecting parents. We could have major problems because this would blow any shred of anonymity we still have. Willow said that she will use the power of the scythe to locate these children so we can train them. That's another reason for my intensive training sessions this summer. Giles wants me to be there with any child slayers because I know what it's like to be that age and a slayer. When the first one is located, I'm to fly back to Dublin and I'll move into Giles' house. In a worst case scenario, Willow will reverse her spell so that those future generations of slayers will need to wait to be called, just like it was when Buffy was The Slayer. This would mean that there would not be any new slayers for a generation or more as there are already hundreds of slayers in existence. We still look for them, those turned after the original Sunnydale spell, and they are sent to either Rio with Kennedy and Willow, LA with Buffy, Angel and I or to Ireland with Giles, Maggie, Janelle and Vi. Giles has established a new Watchers Council, led by my dad, Connor and Dawn, so the new Watchers can pass on all the knowledge and training to the next generation of Slayers. Apparently, Watchers are called, much like Slayers, and Giles has recruited a number of Watcher trainees from around the world so it is coming together nicely. Of course, we have moved the Watchers Council to California rather than London so Dad, Connor and Dawn will get to stay in LA and manage things from there, only traveling out of the country as needed. Good thing too. I don't think Angel would allow Connor to move Jocelyn across the Atlantic permanently.

Xander met a great woman named Kristen and got married two years ago. She's not a slayer, not a witch, and not a demon. She's from Nebraska and, according to Xander; you can't get more normal than that. He met her when he finally decided, on the spur of the moment, to finish his cross country road trip that he started right after high school graduation. They met when his car broke down outside of Omaha and her dad gave him a ride to the mechanic and then took Xander to the ranch for dinner. Xander said that when he met Kristen, it was love at first sight. They bought a ranch adjacent to her family's and raise beef cattle. It's funny seeing Xander in his cowboy get up. He calls himself a cowboy pirate. He even named their cattle dogs Parrot and Captain Morgan. They just found out that they're pregnant. He promised Willow that if it's a girl, she will be named Tara. Of course, he made the promise after he talked to me and found out for sure that the baby is going to be a girl so now we know that Tara Lynn Harris will be born next February. Xander will make a great dad and Kristen, knowing everything that she does about our little group, is a total sweetheart. I wish I could be more like her. She has patience that I can't even begin to understand. I stayed with them on the ranch for three weeks last winter. Kristen taught me how to cook and told me that if I ever wanted to give up being a slayer, I could stay with them and become the full time ranch chef. I don't see that happening but it makes me feel good to know that Kristen would want me there all the time. Xander and Kristen are my ties to the normal world and Xander has told me, privately, that whenever I want to escape, I'm more than welcome to come out and stay with them for however long I need to. I would take him up on it if I could figure out how to use mind control on the horses. I still can't figure out how to post correctly without bruising my butt but that's another story.

As for me, I'm trying to be a normal fourteen year old girl. I'll be fifteen this November and both my dad and Angel said they'll start giving me driving lessons so I don't end up like Buffy, who still can't drive. I have a handful of close friends, but only two of them know my whole story. They remind me of how I've heard Xander and Willow were with Buffy when they were in high school. Xander calls them the Neo-Scoobies but Beau and Sierra don't go out patrolling with me, yet. I think that this next year they'll be ready. Sierra is the bookish type and will probably go to Watcher Academy after we graduate. She has the gift and has already talked to Giles. Beau is a big guy and hangs out at lot with Connor and me. He is taking a lot of martial arts training and works out all the time so he can go patrolling with me when I get back home after my summer in LA. I know that he has a crush on me but I just don't feel the same way about him. Not yet anyway. There are just too many things on my plate right now.

I still go to school and we live in Orange County. Dad wanted to live someplace that had lots of sun and we've got it. Angel and Buffy live in Los Angeles. There's still a huge number of vamps and demons in and around the LA area, even after Mom and Willow blessed the old Wolfram and Hart site to ensure that any big bad can't take up residence there, so they all stay pretty busy. That's why I know I will get some real hands on training while I'm here this summer. I'll be back in time to help Mom and Dad get ready for the twins though I'm really only forty five minutes away if they needed me.

I love my family, both blood and extended. I even love Grandfather D'Hoffryn, even though I'm not really blood kin to him. I have his talisman and promised him that I would call if I ever need anything. I haven't seen him since I was ten and he visited me to give me his talisman and say goodbye. Mom said that's an ok thing, though I think she kind of misses him too. He saved my mom and he saved me but it really is hard to maintain a relationship with a demon you're not related too when you are a slayer. My great-grandmother Charlotte passed away last year after suffering a massive heart attack. She taught me so much and I miss her. I'm glad that we had her in our lives for as long as we did though we should have known her longer.

Mom locked up Goban's Hammer. She said that she doesn't need it anymore and that she'll give it to me when I grow up. I don't think that it will end up being mine. I don't want to be a practicing witch. I'm not even that powerful, magic wise anyway. I'm a seer because I can't help it, the same way that I'm a telepath and an empath. I can even control the actions and thoughts of people who are weak minded, which makes most vamps fair game. Xander calls it my Jedi mind trick. But those abilities don't require magic to perform and I don't want to sit around writing spells, mixing potions or trying to see which herbs will be the most potent in healing. I'm a slayer and that's my job. My mom's the witch in our family. Faith Ann doesn't seem to have any powers yet aside from annoying the crap out of Liam and wrapping all the grown men in our family around her little finger so I think my soon to be new little sister will become the major Wicca of our generation. I'll just keep fighting the good fight with my fists instead of my powers. We know that Wolfram and Hart have been defeated in this dimension for the time being but, as Lila warned us, they really are just biding their time until we let our guard down and then they will be back. They haven't made any attempts on my life for seven years but we're always cautious and always on alert. I'm sure my children or grandchildren will have to fight them in the future. After all, what the Darkness told us is true. As long as man has free will, there will always be evil in this world.

And there will always be slayers, witches and good people here to fight it.


End file.
